A Cat's Life
by ToTolerateAWorldOfDemons
Summary: Severus Snape didnt want his life back. He was perfectly content being dead. And yet Albus had the bright idea to give him another chance at life. The catch? He has to convince four people of who he really is...while being in the body of a cat. Slash EWE
1. Chapter 1

A Cat's Life

Chapter 1: Another Chance

Disclaimer: As much as I would love to say that I own them…I don't. If I did there would be a certain surplus of slash in the books.

XoxoxoxoX

Severus Snape knew one thing for certain at the moment. He was dead. No escaping, no more chances, no reason to look for a way out. Dead. And you know it really wasn't nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be. He wasn't hot or cold. He wasn't hungry or really…anything. He was only half aware of who he was at all.

Severus was currently floating in a white mist. If he summoned all of his wits he was aware of being perfectly naked, though this thought didn't bother him. There was no one here to see him. No one here to taunt or sneer at him being exposed like he was. And to be perfectly honest Severus quite enjoyed this fact.

So he continued to float, enjoying a sense of peace that he had never accomplished in life. Here there was no guilt, no mission, no insufferable droning of other people. There was only peace and contentment. That was when Severus felt some sort of force wrap around his body and begin to drag him off like he was clutched in the hand of some kind of giant.

He tried to fight against it, wanting to return to his serene floating, yet he had little luck. He was zooming through the mist, feeling only a warm breeze, until there was no mist at all. He found himself standing, rather suddenly, in a room that bore a striking resemblance to the Headmaster office in Hogwarts.

This was the first time that Severus fully realized his nudity. He had barely wished for robes before they had appeared on his body. He looked down at himself and noted with approval that they were identical to his robes that he had worn in life. He then glanced around the room, noting that everything was the same except for the portraits that lined the walls in the real office. It left the room looking a bit blank.

"Severus my boy! Good to see that you could join me." A familiar voice from behind him said.

Severus turned quickly to see none other than Albus Dumbledore sitting behind the desk. His eyes were twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles just as they had when he was alive. "You're dead." Severus felt like cursing himself for saying something so obviously stupid.

"Yes, yes. And so are you, my boy." Dumbledore smiled warmly.

"Then why are we in your office?" Severus asked, suspecting the answer but figuring that it was best to know for sure.

"Well you see in the afterlife you are able to create rooms for yourself exactly as you would like them. I find that this room is the one that I find to be most comfortable." the old man smiled.

"And why am I here, headmaster?" Severus felt his upper lip curl in distaste. Honestly, hadn't he had enough of this man while he was living? Did he really have to deal with him through his never ending death too?

"Ah yes, well I've got great news for you Severus. Very good news indeed. I have discussed it with the higher ups and you are being given another chance!" he beamed.

"Another… chance?" Severus repeated, a feeling of dread blooming in his stomach.

"Yes. You see I realize that because of Tom Riddle, and also regrettably because of me, you were unable to live as you should have been able to. You were never able to think about what you wished to do with your life after school. You were never able to meet someone to love. You were completely unable to have an actual life. I have taken the liberty of setting up a way for you to get your life back."

"…and if I were to say that I would much prefer staying dead?" As Severus spoke the question he noticed that the infernal twinkle had doubled in the headmaster's eyes.

"Oh don't be ridiculous Severus." Dumbledore waved the thought away.

"So you're saying that I have no choice in the matter?"

"Consider it my last order to you."

Anger swelled in Severus and he stood angrily. "Your last order to me was for me to kill you! Do you remember that, Headmaster? All I am asking for is peace in death! Surely even I deserve that!" Severus felt the anger burn out as quickly as it had ignited and he sat back down gracefully.

"All I want is for you to find happiness, my boy. That's why I'm doing this." The twinkle in his eyes had faded almost entirely. "And, all in all, I don't think that this will be all that difficult for you."

"What exactly is it that won't be that difficult?" Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Well they've told me that it would be that it would go against their codes to simply put you into a new body until you've…ah…earned it." Albus had the good graces to look slightly sheepish.

Severus leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let me get this straight. I'm going to be made to earn back a life that I would be just as happy not getting back at all?"

"Oh goodness Severus! Of course you want your life back. You're just letting death depress you." Albus shook his finger in a slightly scolding way.

"Yes, because in life I was always the very epitome of joy." The potion master sneered.

Albus chose to ignore this statement and continued smiling serenely. "All you are going to have to do is convince a small number of people that you are indeed Severus Snape."

Severus narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the old man. He'd known Albus for years and nothing with him was ever this simple. "And what's the catch?"

"Well…you'll be in the body of a cat." Albus smiled.

"WHAT?"

Albus didn't even flinch at the younger man's outrage. Severus had once again sprung to his feet, snarling at the senile old man. "Calm down Severus."

"Calm down? Calm down? You expect me to convince sane people that the hated potions master Severus Snape had come back to life as a cat? It would be difficult to get some to believe I had come back even if I was human! You want to return me to earth as a bloody cat!" Severus plopped undignified back into his seat.

"Are you finished?" Albus asked politely. This earned him a dark glare from Severus.

"How many people do I have to convince?" Weariness replaced the rage in Severus' voice.

"Just four." Albus answered his eyes back to twinkling merrily.

"Who?" Severus' voice held a thinly veiled threat of more yelling, this time with some accompanying violence.

"Well I chose four people who I thought would be the most likely to recognize you." The older man explained.

"…Who?" Severus glared.

"Yes well, there's Draco Malfoy," Severus nodded in approval. "Hermione Granger," Severus' eyes narrowed once more. "Ron Weasley and Harry Potter." These last names were said quickly, as if hearing them at a higher speed would lessen Severus' rage. It didn't.

"What. Did. You. Say?" Severus stood up a third time. Albus would later swear that, at the time, he could see the flames of fury dancing in Severus' eyes. "Weasley and POTTER? POTTER? You can't simply let me rest in peace? No, of course not! You won't be satisfied until you ruin every aspect of what was shaping up to be a perfectly good after life! Must I really be sent back just to be forced to seek the help of Harry bloody Potter?"

"Oh come now Severus. It surely isn't that bad. All you have to do is convince Harry that you are Severus Snape."

"AS A CAT!"

The older man nodded. "Yes, as a cat. But I thought you would prefer a cat to a toad or an owl."

Severus sat down, still glaring at the man across from him. "And why, might I ask, do I only have those three choices?"

"As you know, all four of the young adults whom you must convince missed their last year at Hogwarts. In order for them to be able to join the working force they must complete their N.E.W.T.S. And so they have returned to Hogwarts for one last year. Since all four of them are conveniently in the same place it would be best to send you as a cat."

"I see." Severus continued to glare at the elderly man.

"Ah, and I think there is just one more thing that you must know before you go. You see the point of this is that _you_ have to be the one to convince them, once one of them knows they can't tell the others. If they were to do so then you would be trapped in the body of a cat for the rest of your life."

"You are forcing me to take back a life that I don't want and if one of the imbecilic children that I have to convince lets it slip that it's me I will be a cat forever." Severus summarized, his glare growing with each word.

"Yes, I think you've got everything." Albus smiled.

Severus' jaw clenched as he held in all the obscenities that he dearly wanted to hurl at the man before him. It wouldn't do him any good and he knew it. His life had never been in his own hands so why in Merlin's name should his afterlife be any different. He let out a silent sigh. "Then, if there is nothing else Headmaster, shall I be going?" He adopted the stressfully polite tone that he had sometimes used in life when the headmaster had given him a mission that was particularly distasteful.

The damned twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes dimmed somewhat as he looked at the younger man in front of him. "I would like very much for you to be happy Severus. Make sure to try and be happy in your new life." Severus saw him give one last small smile before he was sent hurdling away from Dumbledore and his office. Severus was then aware of horrible pain and then darkness.

_XoEnd ChapterXo_

Author's Note: So, whatdya guys think? This is my first time writing Sev so I'm not sure how I did. I really hope that I kept him in character. Oh, and this is important, this fic is EWE like advertised and other than that it's pretty much cannon…except that some of the people who died in the book are still alive. The only people who I am choosing to return to life are Sirius and Remus. After that all deaths still stand. I am keeping them alive for a reason that will become clear in the future. Also…they'll probably be a couple. If you have a problem with that then I have no idea why you're reading this fic in the first place. Thanks for reading and please send a review! Please no flames because…they're just mean!


	2. Chapter 2

A Cat's Life

Chapter2: Rebirth

Disclaimer: If I owned these characters there would be a lot more chapters in the books dedicated to that sex god that they call their potions professor.

Warning: Slight Ginny-bashing. If this offends you then I would suggest you not read any further.

_Acj11_: Thank you for your kind review! I was pretty nervous about keeping Sev in character so I'm relieved that I've done an adequate job.

_Mona:_ Thank you very much.

_Very Small Prophet:_ Your review made me laugh out loud. Dumbledore does indeed love torturing people for his own entertainment. Thank you for reviewing!

_Tonks-is-cool:_ You can definitely count on awkward situations and tantrums galore. And yes it's true, poor Sev would probably Crucio me into non-existence if he knew the trouble I was putting him through.

_Crazylove4MCR:_ Many thanks.

_SereneTragedy:_ Minerva probably would have been the smarter choice but I didn't want it to be too easy for our favorite potions professor! Not to mention I'm planning something fun with McGonagall in the near future.

XoxoxoxoX

It was loud. Really, REALLY loud! This is what Severus Snape knew at the moment. There was squawking, growling, yelps, croaks, howling, and just a general cacophony of noise that had landed Severus with quite the headache. Severus opened his eyes blurrily to see what looked like bars in front of him.

'What the hell?' he thought foggily, trying to get a bearing on his whereabouts. Was he in prison? Those idiots must have locked him up after the battle at Hogwarts. But why in Merlin's name were there animals in his prison?

It was then that the memory of a glittering sphere of magic, containing Nagini, flashed in Severus' mind. The memory of death and Dumbledore and being forced (Painfully, might he add.) back to life in the body of a cat.

'A cat.' Severus' eyes flew open and he leapt to his feet. All four of his feet. Severus looked down at them and there they were, cat's paws, covered in inky black fur. He was most definitely in the body of a cat. A purely black cat from what he could tell. 'Perfect.'

He surveyed his surroundings, seeing numerous other animals of all kinds. He was in Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley. He sat down in his cage, trying to remember how he had gotten here. He looked up when a young man with chocolate brown hair approached his cage. The man saw that he was awake and rushed back to the older woman at the counter.

Severus watched as they both came to his cage. He did his best to glare harshly at them but he wasn't sure exactly how effective this was while in the body of a cat. "This is the one that you found in the alley last night?" The woman asked, looking to the young man.

"Yes ma'am. I already did tests on him and everything and they say that he's in perfect health. He's almost a year old according to the tests." The assistant chirped excitedly.

"Very good, Rene. We'll open shop in just a few hours and there'll probably be some last minute Hogwarts students that might buy him." The woman nodded happily. Severus lay down in his cage with a sigh. Just what he had always wanted. A bunch of snot nosed brats coming in and pawing at him to their hearts content. His problems were only just beginning.

XoxoxoxoX

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were currently walking down Diagon Alley, Hermione clutching the list of books they would need for their N.E.W.T.S classes. Ron was joking with Harry as The-Boy-Who-Lived-Again laughed quietly.

If Harry was perfectly honest with himself he would have to admit that he wasn't so sure about returning to Hogwarts. Sure, seeing the castle would be great like it always was. It was the people who would also be there that made Harry nervous. There were relatives of people who had lost their lives, people who may have been tortured and murdered all because Harry hadn't been able to defeat Voldemort sooner. This year was sure to be worse than any other where attention on Harry was concerned. Not only had he been the Chosen One but he was also the defeater of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

But he knew that if he so much as suggested that he wasn't sure about returning Hermione and Ron would first both give him looks like he was barking mad. Then Hermione would start to list off all the reasons why it would be in his very best interest to return, giving many examples of how it could help him. Ron, meanwhile, would stammer about how he just _had_ to come back.

The truth was though that Harry really _didn't _have to go back. Earlier in the summer Kingsley Shacklebolt had informed Harry that he could begin Auror training whenever he so desired. The only problem with that was the fact that Harry wasn't sure if he even wanted to be an Auror anymore.

He had been going up against evil witches and wizards for longer than he could remember. He was, in all actuality, quite tired of it. Where did this leave him? What was he going to do with his future? He had no answer to either of these questions. This was why he had agreed to go for one last year at Hogwarts.

Harry sighed quietly and looked to where Ron and Hermione were walking side by side. They had finally become an actual couple over the summer and Harry couldn't have been happier for them. Though it did make him feel like a bit of a third wheel at times. He knew they didn't mean to do it and he couldn't find it in him to get angry over it.

Though thoughts of relationships still caused a guilty not to form in his stomach. He had decided, earlier in the summer, not to get back with Ginny for several very good reasons. The biggest of these reasons was Harry's discovery that he happened to find wizards a lot more arousing than witches.

In all truth Harry probably should have realized a whole lot sooner. Or at least that's what Hermione said when he had come out to her and Ron. "Harry, love, you described your first kiss with a girl as 'wet'. No matter how hard she was crying there should have still been just a bit more there then wetness." Hermione had explained after she had said that she had been expecting this for a while.

Harry had actually been really worrying about what Ron's reaction would be like. The red-head had actually taken it a whole lot better than Harry had even hoped. "Well, I mean, Charlie's gay too so I guess it just doesn't bother me very much. He's been open about it since his fourth year at Hogwarts." Ron had said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Harry had actually been quite relieved when Ron had told him this. He had been worried about how things would be with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. But since they had an openly gay son that they still loved Harry hoped that they wouldn't feel awkward around him. But that had still left him with the problem of Ginny.

It actually took Harry quite a long time before he could make time to tell Ginny. Ever since the summer had started he had been horrendously busy. There had been the trials for all the Death Eaters. Harry had decided to speak on the behalf of both Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. In Harry's opinion these two had both been through enough without having to spend years in Azkaban. Besides, Harry knew that they had seen how foolish they were and they sincerely regretted the things that they had done. No amount of speaking could have kept Lucius out of prison however.

Harry's main goal for the summer, however, had been clearing the name of Severus Snape. With Harry's testimony, along with the memories that Snape had left to him, he had succeeded in having all charges against Snape cleared. It had also been decided by the court, with some insisting of Harry's, that the late Potion Master would also be awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class.

Harry didn't know how much Snape would have cared. In fact he may have just been angry that Harry had gone and shown his memories to other people. In fact, Harry was almost certain that he would have been hexed for his efforts. Not that Harry really let that discourage him. He did it for personal satisfaction more than anything. That and the fact that Severus Snape had at least deserved to be seen as a hero.

But with all of the rushing in and out of the ministry Harry really hadn't had much time to sit down with Ginny and explain things. It had been about two weeks ago when he had finally been able to talk to her. It had been an absolute catastrophe. And that was putting it lightly.

She had screamed at him, cursed, called him every name in the book (Including some that Harry had never even heard of before.) and nearly hexed him nine ways to Sunday. It had taken Ron, Hermione, Percy, and Bill to get her away from him.

Coincidentally, this was also the day that the rest of the Weasley family found about Harry's sexual orientation. They had all accepted it rather quickly. Mrs. Weasley had been rather disappointed that she wouldn't have Harry for an actual son. That is until she remembered that Charlie was still single. Ever since she had remembered that she had been reminding Harry about it every chance she got.

Ginny refused to speak to him or even be in the same room with him for an extended period of time. Hermione assured him that once Ginny got used to the idea she would calm down. Ron made sure to cough suspiciously whenever Hermione said this. Harry had to side with Ron on this one. Ginny probably wouldn't ever forgive him.

Surprisingly enough, Harry found that he was okay with this. He still had Ron and Hermione. Even if they were continuing to get closer and closer to each other. And he was going back to Hogwarts where, if he was lucky, he might be able to find a boyfriend.

Hermione finished in the bookstore and then looked to the two boys. "Is there anything else that we need before we go?"

"Yeah actually." Harry answered, looking up from a book on advanced Quidditch strategies. "I've been thinking about getting a new pet." The memory of losing Hedwig still made his stomach clench.

"You want a new owl, mate?" Ron asked as they headed for the pet shop.

"No…I don't know. I just don't think I can handle another owl right now. I know that sounds really stupid and pathetic but there it is." Harry smiled sheepishly.

"It's not stupid or pathetic, Harry. Maybe you can find a nice cat or something like that." Hermione suggested cheerfully. The trio reached Magical Menagerie and went inside.

XoxoxoxoX

Severus was unbelievably annoyed. When the shop had opened the boy Rene had let him out of his cage and put a quick spell on him that would stop him from leaving the shop unless he was purchased. Severus had been simply wandering, trying to get used to his cat body. Everything had been going fine until a middle ages witch had come in with her three young children. And which cat just had to catch their attention? Why Severus, of course!

Since then he had been squeezed, pinched, pulled, and pet so hard that he feared his skin would fall off. Fortunately, he had managed to pay those brats back a bit. The scratches that he landed on them may have been easy to heal but it had been quite satisfying to see them cry and scream. Even if it had landed him right back in his cage.

He was in there for what he was sure was hours before an annoyingly familiar voice shook him out of his daze. "Harry, here's a cute kitten. Aw, come look at him, he's so cute!" Granger gushed, pointing to the cage above Severus. Weasley and potter came over to see what she was on about. Weasley was looking at the kitten which had caught Granger's attention but Potter was starring right at Severus.

Severus starred back, trying to glare. He really needed to find a mirror at the earliest opportunity to see exactly how effective his glare was in this form. From the way that Potter continued to look at him, untroubled, made him almost positive that it was not effective at all.

"Harry this kitten is really sweet. Harry? What are you looking at?"

"I kind of like this cat." Harry answered, pointing at Severus.

Hermione and Ron looked down at Severus as well. "Um…are you sure, mate? I mean this kitten is…well…cuter." Ron said, looking at the lanky black cat that looked as if it were trying to stare Harry down. Though as soon as Ron had said this the cats black eyes switched to him in what Ron would swear was a glare.

Harry didn't even glance at the kitten, instead still starring at the black cat. "There's something kinda…familiar about it. I want this one." Harry answered. He unlatched the cage and lifted Severus out.

Severus immediately stiffened in his arms, every muscle rigid. One thing he had never really desired was to be held in Harry bloody Potter's arms. But he had never wanted to be a cat either and we can all see how that went. Severus briefly considered biting and scratching the brat to bloody ribbons. He ended up tossing said idea aside because, in all painful honesty, he really did need to get to Hogwarts somehow if he was to convince them that he was Severus Snape.

At the surge of dismay that this thought caused Severus considered finding his way into muggle London and strolling into traffic. He quickly threw this thought away as well. If he killed himself he would be stuck with Dumbledore always giving him _that look_ for the rest of eternity.

"Are you sure that this is the cat you want, Harry? He looks kind of mean and I've never seen a cat with black eyes before." Hermione frowned.

"I'm sure that he'll get used to me. And his eyes are fine." Harry frowned back. Severus, meanwhile, was becoming quite uncomfortable with the way Potter was holding him. Severus squirmed until he found a bare patch of skin on Potter's arm. Giving a smirk (At least as much as a cat could.) he promptly sank his fangs into Potter's arm. "Ow!"

Potter came very close to dropping him, instead switching his grip on Severus and checking his now wounded arm. Severus smirked again. That would teach the Chosen Brat to hold him properly.

"Came on Harry, don't get that cat. He just bit you! The last thing you need is a homicidal cat." Ron said, eyeing Severus distrustfully.

"_I am simply impressed that you know the meaning of the word homicidal." _Severus said, it coming out as a meow.

"I've already decided and he's not homicidal. I think I was holding him wrong. He seems fine now." Harry insisted, reaching to scratch behind Severus' ears.

Severus' first instinct was to claw the brat's fingers off. He would have too if Potter hadn't hit _that spot_ behind his ears. It was only a moment before an odd rumbling was coming from deep in Severus' chest. He realized, with substantial horror that he was purring. PURRING!

Potter laughed softly. "See? He's not so bad."

Severus pulled himself together and swiped at Potter's hand in order to get the boy to stop. Potter simply laughed once more but stopped with the petting. Severus glared at him darkly before turning his head completely, refusing to look at the boy.

"Well if you're sure, Harry." Hermione said doubtfully. Harry really didn't think she had much room to criticize his choice in feline companionship. If one thing was for certain it was that his new cat was far cuter then Crookshanks.

Harry picked out a few toys, a food and water dish, and a collar for Severus. Taking everything up to the counter to check out. "Did we get everything we need?" Harry looked to Hermione as they continued down Diagon Alley.

"I think so. I still can't believe we waited so late to get our things. We go back to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"Well we still managed to get everything. Better late than never." Ron grinned.

The three walked to the end of the street before Disapparating. Severus felt Potter's arm tighten around him which really didn't help the horrible compression that came with Apparating. Obviously, Apparation was a lot harder on cats. Severus certainly didn't remember it being so painful.

Without realizing it, Severus had dug his claws deep into Potter's sleeve. When the pressure broke Severus leapt from Harry's arms quickly. He stood panting in front of a house that he blearily recognized as belonging to the Wealseys'.

"Oh Merlin1 I didn't even think about how Apparating would be on a cat! Are you okay, kitty?" Harry knelt down next to the panting cat.

"_Never do that again you foolish brat!"_ Severus tried to scream. It came out as a vicious hiss instead.

"Sorry, sorry." Harry murmured, petting Severus' back.

"Kill your pet not an hour after you get it why don't you?" Ron laughed. Severus shot a glare to the red-head.

"Don't say something like that, Ron." Hermione scolded.

Severus regained his composure quickly and followed the trio into the house. He looked around, still not used to being on floor level. "Here kitty, kitty." Harry kneeled down as Severus walked into the kitchen, wiggling his fingers to try and tempt Severus over to him.

Severus glared at him and turned away, sticking his nose in the air. "Come on, cat. Come here and I'll put your new collar on you." Harry held up the collar he had bought for Severus. It was emerald green with a small silver bell hanging from it. Just what Severus needed to feel even more like a pet.

Harry watched his new cat, jingling the bell on his collar to try and lure him closer. He would almost swear that the cat was sneering at him (and the collar) with distaste. The cat turned his back on Harry as if dismissing him.

Harry grinned, lunging at the cat and using his Seeker reflexes to scoop him up. The cat yowled and dug his claws into Harry's sleeve, looking offended. "You're wearing the collar. How in Merlin's name would everyone at Hogwarts be able to tell you apart from all the other black cats otherwise?"

Severus gave the brat a long suffering glare as the collar was fastened around his neck. "What are you going to name him, Harry?" Hermione asked, leaning over to pet Severus. He hissed at her before her hand even made contact.

"I'm not sure. I got Hedwig's name from a book." Harry answered, standing up with Severus in his arms. Severus stiffened and glared at Potter. Harry just smiled at him and scratched behind his ears.

"What about 'Midnight'?" Hermione suggested as Severus swatted Harry's hand away from any areas that would make him purr like a common house cat. At Hermione's name suggestion Severus snapped him head in her direction and hissed. Her eyebrows shot up at the glare the cat was pinning her with.

"Uh…call me crazy but I don't think he's a fan of that name." Ron said from his spot at the kitchen table.

"What gave you that idea?" Harry asked sarcastically. "Besides 'Midnight' is such a clichéd name for a black cat."

"You don't want cliché? Name him Snowball! There, it's not cliché and it's ironic." Ron grinned.

"_If Miss Granger couldn't come up with an adequate name, , I can hardly believe that you would think you had the right to try." _ Severus quipped in his head. He knew they couldn't hear him but remaining silent was trampling on every one of his last nerves.

Harry was looking down at the cat in his arms thoughtfully. "How about 'Prince'?" He seemed to direct this question more at Severus then either of his friends.

Severus blinked up at Harry in surprise. He had been expecting some asinine name like the ones his idiot friends were suggesting. He let out a meow of consent for this name. It was his mother'smaiden name after all. If he couldn't be known by his proper name then he could at least stand this one.

"Why Prince?" Ron asked, looking at Severus.

"Well he acts stuck up and always had his nose in the air. He's like a spoiled prince." Harry explained with a grin. Severus hissed at him with a glare and leapt from his arms. He slinked under a table in the living room where, hopefully, Potter couldn't reach him.

"So where is everyone, Ron?" Hermione asked.

"It's Sunday. They're visiting George in London." Ron whispered this last part as if talking about someone who was dying.

"Is he still not doing so well then?" Harry asked. Severus noticed from his spot under the table that Potter kept his eyes on the floor.

"He's getting better. It's just, you know, taking a little while. Mum is still trying to get him to move back here. She's worried that he's going to do something…stupid." Ron whispered.

Severus felt his ears perk up, trying to hear better. So Fred Weasley must have died in the battle. Severus could understand why they were worried for his twin then. The two had never been seen apart while in Hogwarts.

"Is he staying in the flat alone?" Hermione asked in a soft voice.

"Nah. Mum wouldn't let him stay alone. Lee Jordan is staying with him for a while."

Severus lay down beneath the table. He had only woken up a few hours ago but he already felt sleepy. As the Golden Trio continued their whispered conversation Severus found himself drifting off into sleep.

XoxoxoxoX

The ex-Potion Master was awakened hours later by the smell of food. His stomach rumbled insistently as he opened his eyes. Though as soon as he realized what chaos the Burrow was now in he instantly regretted not sleeping longer.

The other members of the house hold had returned a while ago from the looks of it. The sound of banging pots and pans filled the house as Molly Weasley rushed back and forth in the kitchen, giving orders to Hermione and Ginny who were assisting her. Molly soon came into the living room to call up the stairs. "Dinner is ready! Come eat!"

Severus snuck into the kitchen, weaving around the legs of the two girls that were busy setting food on the table. He would wait until Potter got down here and then demand food. What kind of fool bought a pet but didn't leave any food out for it? _"Brat."_ Severus meowed, accidentally getting the attention of Ginny Weasley.

"Whose cat?" she asked, looking at Severus.

"Harry's. He bought him in Diagon Alley this morning. His name is Prince." Hermione explained as she continued to place food on the table.

Severus saw Ginny's lips curl unpleasantly at the mention of Potter. "So why'd he get this cat? It's kind of ugly." Ginny sneered.

"_Yes, and according to rumors you'll sleep with anyone with male anatomy. But we all have our flaws I guess."_ Severus hissed.

Hermione looked down at Prince. He was very lanky and his onyx eyes shone with a kind of sharp intelligence. He looked slightly…odd with the black eyes but she certainly wouldn't call him ugly. He was actually a rather dignified looking cat. "I don't think he's ugly. Just…not very cuddly. Harry really seemed to fancy him at the pet store."

Ginny turned away from Severus with a disgusted look. A moment later the rest of the household had come down, seating themselves around the table. Severus found Potter and promptly climbed up his pants leg.

Harry jumped at the feeling of claws on his leg, looking down in surprise at the cat that was now perched in his lap. His surprise faded into a smile. "Sorry. I guess I didn't leave any food out for you." Harry whispered.

"_Idiot boy."_ Severus growled distractedly. He reached for Potter's plate, hooking a piece of ham with his claw and bringing it to his mouth. Harry chuckled and scratched Severus behind the ears. Severus, far too distracted with actually getting something to eat, never noticed that Harry didn't eat much more. He fed Severus, relieved that he had someone else to clean his plate.

XoxoxoxoX

Severus lay on the bed of blankets that Potter had made for him, thinking about how to convince them of who he was. The only thought that comforted him was that it was sure to be easier to convince them while at Hogwarts.

His plan was to try and convince Draco first. Surely his godson would be the one who was most likely to recognize him. After Draco he would work on Granger. She should be clever enough to figure it out. And then he had to get Potter and Weasley.

He would probably be able to convince Potter. Severus knew that, foolish and arrogant the boy may be, he at least had a _bit_ of common sense. He should be able to get Potter with some help from the other two. The only problem was Weasley.

Severus, for now, decided not to think about this. Going down that road of despair would do him no good at all. And besides, with the help of all the others (and a miracle) he might manage to convince Weasley. It was no use worrying about that yet. He would work on Draco first. With that thought Severus drifted off to sleep.

XoEndChapteroX

A/n: Thank you very much for reading! The next chapter should be up soon! Reviews are much appreciated but please no flames. Flames are to my soul what whips are to bare flesh.


	3. Chapter 3

A Cat's Life

Chapter3: Friend-like Enemies

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter he would have spent a lot more time lusting after a certain Potion Master…and maybe Draco too.

_CHSgrl09:_ Thank you! Meow indeed.

_Acj11:_ Yes, I think the first to find out will be a bit of a surprise. Needless to say everything does not go to Sev's plan. But I won't give anything away.

_Steinkrauz:_ EW! That'd be sooooo gross! DX

_Shadow:_ Thank you very much.

_The Green Eye:_ Thank you for your kind words.

_New moongirl:_ Thank you.

_Aliengirlguy:_ Yep, unfortunately for Sev, Albus was probably there the entire time. Creepy old dudes.

_Sunscorona:_ I'm happy that you like my fic! Unfortunately, I probably won't be updating every week. However, it shouldn't be too awfully long between each chapter. I'm relieved that I seem to be keeping Severus in character!

_Begs:_ Well…yes.

_Kaede203:_ You may rest in the knowledge that I have every intention of finishing the fic. This chapter, however, is not the finish.

_MrsSnape2u:_ Thank you!

XoxoxoxoX

All was chaos at The Burrow by 8:00 the following morning. Severus had _really_ had quite enough of it. He had been woken up (Very rudely) by Ron Weasley yanking the blankets out from under him. The fact that the "blankets" in question were actually Mr. Weasley's robes did not lessen the man-turned-cat's anger at all.

He had lectured the red-head for a good five minutes before he remembered that no one could understand him in the slightest and the only thing that was coming from his mouth was a stream of hissing. Ron was staring at the cat with his eyebrows raised. He didn't know why but he felt like that bloody cat had been lecturing him.

"Why are you starring at Prince like that?" Harry asked, having just walked into Ron's room.

"I think your cat was just chewing me out, mate." Ron answered, stuffing the robes into his trunk. "It was hissing at me like it was mental right before you came in."

Harry laughed and reached over to pet Prince. Severus swatted at his hand before turning to leave the room. He went down the numerous stair cases, intent on getting breakfast.

Molly was rushing around the kitchen while calling out orders to the children upstairs. Severus climbed onto one of the living room tables to watch all of the commotion. It had never been like this at his house when he had been a child.

He had, of course, counted down the days left until returning to Hogwarts every summer. The night before his "vacation" was over he would pack his trunk and make sure his robes were clean. His father wouldn't have cared enough to remind him and by the time he was twelve his mother was always busy getting lost in whatever bottle she could find.

His mother had taken him to King's Cross his first year. That was still when drinking was an occasional thing. Every year after, until his sixth, he had hitched a ride with Lily and her family. It had driven Petunia crazy, much to Severus' joy. But after his fifth year he had moved out of his father's house anyways.

His mother had died in an "accident" over the school year according to his father. Tobias hadn't thought it significant enough to write Severus over. He had lived with Lucius after that. For a while at least. Until his father had died from alcohol poisoning and he was free to claim the house.

Severus gave himself a small shake to rid himself of the bad memories. He hadn't meant to get himself going down that road. The Burrow was just very different from what he was used to with all the noise and the smell of a homemade meal.

Molly went to the foot of the stairs, calling that breakfast was ready. Severus took this as his cue to sneak under the kitchen table and wait on Potter. As everyone sat down Ginny aimed a kick at Severus which he dodged with a hiss. Finally, he managed to find Potter. He wasted no time in climbing onto the brat's lap.

"No Prince. I set out food for you last night. It's right over there." Harry whispered to the cat, pointing to a dish with cat food in it.

Severus looked over to the food dish and felt his lip curl in distaste. He turned his attention back to Potter with a glare. _"If you think I'm eating that you're sorely mistaken." _ He said with a meow. Deciding that the Chosen Brat was going to share with him whether he liked it or not, he clawed a piece of bacon off the plate.

Harry chuckled, snatching up the other piece of bacon before Severus could get it. "Harry, you shouldn't have Prince at the table." Hermione scolded. "And you're going to spoil him if you keep feeding him people food."

"He's fine Hermione. And I'm not letting him on the table. He's just on my lap." Harry smiled as Prince snagged a sausage.

"Hermione is right. Cat off the table." said, waving her wand. Severus yowled as he was banished from Potter's lap, landing near his food dish.

Severus glanced at the dry cat food in the dish. His lip curled again and he turned his back on the poor excuse for food. He walked back into the living room with his tail in the air. He jumped back onto the table to wait for them to finish.

It seemed to take hours. Severus was ready to go back into the kitchen and drag Potter out if it meant that they could finally leave. That was when Molly happened to check the time. "It's that late already? Hurry up you lot! If we don't hurry up we'll miss the train!" She exclaimed as she cleaned off the table with a sweep of her wand.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny rushed upstairs to get their trunks. Severus watched from the table as they all rushed around. Potter came back down first, levitating his trunk in front of him. He was also holding what looked like a cat carrier…the perfect size for Severus.

Severus didn't hesitate even slightly to leap off the table and streak into the kitchen, hiding under that table. If Potter thought he was going into that cage he had another thing coming. "Come on Prince. Here kitty, kitty." Harry coaxed as he reached for the cat.

"_I am not going into that cage."_ Severus hissed, swiping his claws at Potter.

"Accio Prince." Harry smirked, pointing his wand. Severus hissed as he was suddenly lifted into the air and pulled toward Potter at a high speed. Harry caught him and was immediately being clawed and bitten. "Ow! Stoppit Prince! You have to go into the cage! I'll let you out on the train!"

After quite a fight Harry finally managed to get Prince into the carrier. Severus glared out of the depths at Harry. Potter was too busy checking his new claw wounds to notice the cat's glare though.

Ron and Hermione were standing at the foot of the stairs, watching Harry's struggle with amusement. "Thanks for the amazing lack of assistance." Harry glared at his friends, trying to get a rather deep scratch to stop bleeding.

"I get Crookshanks into his cage on my own." Hermione smirked, motioning to where Crookshanks was curled in his carrier, purring. Harry scowled at the cat as if it were its fault that Prince had clawed his arm to shreds.

"Kids we're going to be late!" yelled, pushing them out of the house.

Severus was cursing Dumbledore into the depths of Hell as he was jostled around carelessly. He wondered, not for the first time, why he couldn't have simply had a normal death. Or even a normal life. Or just not have had the misfortune to have met Albus Dumbledore. He plopped down in the cage gracelessly with a huff.

They all piled into cars that the Ministry had provided (Mostly because of Harry.) and set out for King's Cross. Severus continued to glare out of his cage, entertaining himself with thoughts of clawing Potter to bloody ribbons.

"_You get used to this eventually. They'll let us out soon."_ A slightly snide voice said. Severus looked over to where the voice was coming from. Granger's cat was looking at him from where his cage was perched on his mistress's lap.

"_Excuse me?"_ Severus said, unsure as to whether the cat had actually spoken to him or not. Though, if it had, should he really be surprised?

"_You're getting riled up for nothing. It's uncomfortable, sure, but it's better than having been left in the pet shop."_ Crookshanks seemed to smirk as he said this. The expression looked odd on his flattened face.

"_I cannot believe I'm actually talking to a cat."_ The black feline sighed.

A small chuckle came from the other cat. _"I am quite curious as to how you managed to pull this off. I remember them talking about how you had died, Snivellus."_ Crookshanks grinned.

Severus' eyes snapped to the other cat. _"You know who I am."_ It wasn't a question.

"_I remember seeing you around Padfoot's house. Your body may have changed but your scent is still the same."_

"_And was it from Black that you learned that idiotic name?"_ Severus glared.

"_What? Snivellus? I was under the impression that it was your actual name. It's the only thing I ever heard Padfoot call you."_

"_That is not my name. Just something that Black found amusing to call me when we were children."_ Severus frowned. As much as a cat is able to frown, anyway. _"Apparently he still finds it amusing. No one would actually call their child Snivellus."_

Crookshanks made a movement that could have been a shrug._ "With a name like Crookshanks who am I to judge?"_

"_Point taken."_

"_So, how did you return as a cat? I must know."_ Crookshanks gave an odd grin.

"_Curiosity killed the cat."_ Severus glared as Crookshanks laughed.

The cats were unable to continue their conversation as the human occupants got out of the car. The group rushed into King's Cross station, pushing trolleys ahead of them. Molly hissed at them to hurry while checking her watch.

The Golden Trio heaved their trunks onto the train just as the last call sounded. Ginny left for her friends without a word to the trio. "She's been pleasant lately." Ron frowned, sarcasm lacing his tone.

"She's just still upset over Harry. She really thought you two would get back together after everything settled down. Of course she also never suspected that you were homosexual, Harry." Hermione said as they found an empty compartment.

As they heaved their trunks into the luggage racks Ron frowned. "But…shouldn't she have noticed something was-er-off? When you two were, like, snogging?" Ron made a face at this last word.

Harry frowned as well. He had never really thought about it before. In truth he had never found snogging as marvelous as the other boys in his dorm had. He had figured at the time that his dorm mates had simply been exaggerating. Of course now he figured the problem was that he had been kissing the wrong gender the entire time. Not that he could compare the difference between kissing a girl or a bloke.

Ron had a point though. Shouldn't Ginny have noticed that he had been less than enthusiastic? He knew she had more experience than he did when it came to snogging. Maybe he was just a really good faker. Or maybe, the thought made his stomach clench uncomfortably, he was just really bad and Ginny hadn't said anything at the time to spare his feelings.

He tried to think back to the number of insults Ginny had been hurling at him when she had found out about his preference. Had there been anything about his kissing ability? It had been really hard to hear at the time with all the hexes flying at him.

Severus lay in his cat carrier, waiting for that idiot to let him out. He did take some interest in the conversation being had by the Golden Trio. Potter was gay, was he? 'And all the fan girls shall weep.' He thought with smirk.

He almost wished he could have seen the Weasley girl's face when she had found out. Hell, he wished James Potter was still alive to see his face. He had certainly given Severus hell when he had found out that Severus was bi-sexual. This still didn't make sense to him considering that the man's two best friends, the wolf and the mutt, had been obviously interested in each other. Then again, it wasn't like Severus had ever expected fairness from James Potter.

'Imagine if he had been alive to find out that his son was completely gay.' The thought made Severus purr subconsciously.

Harry peeked into Prince's cage to see the cat purring contently. "See? It's not so bad in there, is it?"

Severus' eyes snapped to the green ones and he glared. Potter simply chuckled and opened the cage for him. Severus slipped out of the cage and stretched, jumping up into the seat farthest away from the three.

A moment later the compartment door was pushed open and Neville Longbottom stumbled inside. "Hey guys!" he beamed.

"Hey Neville! We didn't know if you were going to be coming back for another year since you were actually here last year." Harry greeted.

"Yeah. A bunch of last year's seventh years are coming back. None of us exactly got to take our N.E. did we? I heard that their keeping everyone back a grade and just mixing the new first years in with the last bunch. No one really learned anything. Not to mention Gran wanted me to come back. Oh! But Professor Sprout said that she's going to take me on as her apprentice!" His eyes widened comically in his excitement.

"That's great Neville!" Hermione smiled.

Neville beamed and went to sit down, jumping up an instant later with an "Eep!" as Prince hissed and growled loudly.

"_Idiot boy! It's easy to see that over the last year you still haven't gotten smart enough to do something so simple as to watch where you sit!"_ Severus hissed and he leapt into a different seat.

"W-whose cat?" Neville stammered as he sat down.

"Harry's." Ron answered.

"His name is Prince." Harry smirked as Prince glared at Neville.

"Don't worry though, Neville. The blasted cat acts like that with everyone. It's a bit of a nutter really." Ron frowned as the cats glaring black eyes switched to him.

Severus decided to ignore everyone in this thrice damned compartment. He curled up in the seat, his tail wrapping around him as he tried to get comfortable. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

Harry chatted with his three friends. All four of them discussing the upcoming year which would be so very different from all the others in many ways. As they were eating the candy that they had gotten from the trolley Neville snapped his fingers as if remembering something. "That's right! Did you guys know that Malfoy came back too?"

"No way!" Ron exclaimed, dropping his Chocolate Frog. Said frog beginning to hop away.

"I really didn't think he would come back to Hogwarts." Hermione frowned.

When Harry didn't add any input Neville and Hermione looked to him. Ron was still on the floor looking for his Chocolate Frog. "Yeah I knew. It was decided at his trial. Narcissa requested he be allowed to go back for his last year. I-er-kinda said that I would keep an eye on him."

"Personally mate; I still don't understand why you didn't let them lock him up in Azkaban. I mean I get why you got his mum off but him? Don't you remember all the hell he put us through over the years?" Ron finally clambered back into his seat, examining the Chocolate Frog he had recaptured. He blew a bit of dust off and stuffed it into his mouth.

"I'm just…over it I guess. I think Malfoy's been regretting joining Voldemort ever since the beginning of his sixth year. But it's not like he could just look at Voldemort and say, 'Well I've made a mistake. I think I'll just quit being a Death Eater now!' could he?" Harry shrugged.

"Well that's very mature of you Harry. You could learn a thing or two from him Ronald." Hermione looked pointedly to her boyfriend.

As Ron opened his mouth to complain Harry jumped up. "I think I'll take a walk." he said, mostly to Neville since the other two were now busy bickering.

XoxoxoxoX

Draco honestly didn't know what his mother had been thinking. Why in Merlin's name did she request that he be sent back to Hogwarts? He wasn't even at the bloody school yet and already he was miserable.

As soon as he had arrived on the damned platform he had been greeted by glares from every direction. All he had been able to do was continue walking with his head held high. Stubbornly clinging to the Malfoy pride which was the only thing he had left.

Every compartment on the bloody train had at least two people in it by time he got on the train. No one wanted to spare a seat for an ex-Death Eater. Even the current Slytherins weren't keen on being seen with someone who had openly followed the Dark Lord. It wasn't like he could exactly blame them. If their situations were reversed he was sure he'd be the same way.

So he settled for wandering the train. He should have just gone with Blaise who had decided to go to Hogsmead a couple days early and not take the train. When Blaise had mentioned it over the summer it had just sounded exhaustingly unnecessary to Draco. Now it sounded like a marvelous idea.

Roaming the train only lasted so long so Draco wound up leaning against a window at the end of one of the aisles. He sighed and let himself slump down into a sitting position. This whole thing was an awful idea. What had his mother been thinking?

"Look what we have here." Came a sneering voice. Draco looked up to see four, sixth year Gryffindor boys leering down at him.

"Can I help you?" Draco tried to keep his voice smooth and even as he reached to grab his wand. Potter having returned the wand to him as soon as the trials were over.

"Yeah. We was just wondering why in Merlin's name they would let Death Eater scum back into Hogwarts?" The ring leader, Draco thought his surname was Lyons, sneered.

Draco said nothing but did rise to his feet slowly, his hand still firmly grasping his wand in his robe pocket. He decided to weigh his options. If he attacked them he would probably be expelled as soon as he got off the train, so that was out. If they tried to attack him he was sure he could defend himself, but then the four of them could run off and spin some sob story about how the evil Death Eater had been making trouble.

Draco wasn't sure how fair the new Headmaster, a man named Aelfric Galloway, was to ex-Death Eaters but he would bet a rather large sum that he wouldn't bother hearing Draco's side of the story at all. He probably wouldn't be as understanding as Dumbledore could have been. All he would see is a Death Eater attacking four innocent Gryffindors. Draco wanted to scream because, in all truth, there was no way for him to win in this situation. The snide part of his mind that whispered that he had brought this on himself wasn't helping either.

Not to mention, the thought brought a wave of grief, with Severus gone there was literally _no one_ to defend him. The new head of Slytherin, since Slughorn had decided to go back into retirement, was a woman named Cayenne Chambers. Draco didn't know much about her but he was sure she wouldn't want to make a bad reputation for herself this early in the game.

So Draco said nothing, simply glaring at the defiantly. "We asked you a question." Lyons growled, shoving Draco's shoulder. His friends chuckled darkly behind him.

Draco was forcibly reminded of himself from two or so years ago. Taunting people for the hell of it as Crabbe and Goyle laughed stupidly behind him. He grit his teeth as he thought of two. Crabbe, whose body was never found, and Goyle who was in Azkaban.

The memories were painful and it made Draco hate this situation even more. He was tired of all this childish nonsense. All he wanted was to get through this year as quickly and painlessly as possible. "I didn't do anything to you. Just leave me alone." He didn't expect his words to work and he wasn't disappointed.

One of the other boys (What was his name? Something Palmer?) Rushed forward and pinned Draco against the window by his shoulders. "Didn't do anything, did you? Well I wonder which one of your little Death Eater pals killed my little brother last year. Hell, it could have been you. Couldn't it?" The boy growled out, his face no more than an inch from Draco's.

"We should teach this piece of trash a lesson." Lyons sneered.

All four boys drew their wands, Palmer's being immediately gouged into Draco's throat. He couldn't even find it in him to blame them for hating him. They needed a whipping boy. He would have wanted one if he was in their shoes. Draco scrunched his eyes shut, wishing that they would just get it over with.

"Hey! What are you lot doing?" Came an all too familiar voice.

The group of Gryffindors backed away from Draco and looked at the floor as if it were and actual disciplinarian who had found them and not a student. "He started mouthing off to us." Lyons said, sounding like a five year old tattling.

Harry frowned. Draco was still leaning against the window, rubbing his neck where Palmer's wand had dug in. A bruise already forming on his fair skin. It wasn't very hard for Harry to put two and two together. "Go back to your compartments." Harry tried to make his voice a bit commanding and it seemed to work. The four boys shot Draco malicious glares and turned away.

"Sorry about them. They're just still grieving and don't have anyone to take their frustrations out on. They didn't do anything to you, did they?" Harry reached for Draco's shoulder. Draco jerked away from him, turning to face him with a glare.

"I didn't need your bloody help, Potter! Why do you always have to do that? Why do you have to save everyone? WE GET IT! You're a bloody saint! You'll defend the entire Wizarding World with your bare hands! You'll sacrifice yourself at the drop of a hat! I GET IT!

"Do you understand? You can stop now! You can go back to hating me! You don't have to defend the stupid, weak, Death Eater! You, literally, couldn't become a better person if you tried. Just…leave me alone." Draco mopped at his eyes. He would not cry in front of Harry bloody Potter again.

Harry stood waiting for Draco to be done yelling. Once the blonde finished Harry hesitated, trying to find the right words. "Look Malfoy…Draco…I know we've never…well…gotten along. Which is a major understatement." Draco scoffed at this. "But I'm just _sick_ of it. Aren't you? I'm sick of all the childish fighting. So…I-er-want to call a truce.

"I know we'll probably never be great friends but for Merlin's sake let's stop being petty and stupid. We can just completely ignore each other if that's what it takes." Harry looked at Draco, whose expression was unreadable. "I didn't take your hand back when we were kinds and we've been fighting ever since. So…I think it's time to put that all behind us." Harry held his hand out with a hopeful look to the Slytherin.

Draco hesitated but took Harry's hand, shaking it slowly. "Fine. But this doesn't make us friends, Potter. And I was serious about you needing to cut out that 'Save Everyone' garbage." Draco smirked, looking Harry in the eye.

Harry gave a smile. "Gotcha. Stop with the ultimate hero act and we're not friends. How about…friend-like enemies?"

This made Draco crack a slight smile, almost shyly. "Deal."

XoxoxoxoX Chapter End

A/n: Well there's the next chapter! Next one will have a lot more Severus, I promise! Oh! THIS IS IMPORTANT! I'm not 100% on who Draco is going to end up with in this story. I've narrowed it down to either Blaise Zabini or Charlie Weasley. There's a poll on my profile page so please all of you go and vote on who you want darling Draco to end up with. If you don't want Draco to end up with either then…I'm sorry. Please review and thank you for reading! I would appreciate not being flamed. Love all of you!


	4. Chapter 4

A Cat's Life

Chapter 4: Incompetent Teachers

Author's note: First off, I AM SOOOO SORRY THAT IT'S BEEN SO LONG! I feel the need to inform you that since the last time I've posted a chapter I've gotten a job. I'm now working as a cashier at Lowe's! Yeah, not so glamorous. That's the kind of job you get when you don't live on Disney channel. My point is that my chapters may not be as frequent as anyone would like. I am however writing every day during my breaks and lunches. I apologize for any future wait. The chapters will continue to come.

Announcement: Well, you all voted and it looks like Draco's going to end up with (Drum roll please) Charlie! He won by a landslide. Only two little votes for poor little Blaise. But, to be honest, when I put up the poll I was thinking 'I hope they choose Charlie!' My reason? Charlie loves dragons, Draco's name means dragon. It's fate! Anyways, onwards!

Deby Magid:  Yes, Severus could be a nicer cat…but then he wouldn't be the Severus we all know and love! And think about it. Would you want to eat cat food?

Anonymous Bird: Thank you!

CSHgrl09: Heh heh. Yes I like the friend-like enemies' relationship. It suits Harry and Draco, no?

Aliengirlguy: Hehehe. Yes, Ron's not going to be so happy, is he?

Avid Anon: I looked into the problem with the dialogue and I have no idea how to fix it. It's so FRUSTRATING! But thank you for informing me. I'll keep trying to fix it. As for all of your very nice ideas, some of them I already have planned. There will be plenty of scenes with Mrs. Norris, McGonagall, Luna, and pretty much everyone else before this story is done.

HpFanficFan: Well I couldn't leave darling Draco out! I love that spoiled brat for some reason.

Shadow: Oh, trust me. There will be plenty of good stuff with McGonagall very soon.

Sunscorona: I vow to update as often as possible. Unfortunately it may be a few weeks between each chapter. My apologize. I hope I can make up for it with this long chapter. Also, I hope you enjoy the action at the end.

Nitrea: Many thanks.

Seto K4iba1: I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Smile-Evily: Yes, Charlie it has to be!

Reenan Lefey: Thank you much!

Xoambxo: I'm super glad you like it! I'll see you at work!

Untold: Thank you so much for the complement. I hope this chapter pleases you.

Mandy the Oddball: Sev purring is quite a nice thought, isn't it?

Emily Redbird: I'm happy to hear that I seem to be keeping dear Severus in character! It can be difficult.

Jens2: Thank you for the complement. I know it's been a while but I will most certainly not be abandoning this story. The only thing that could make me stop is if I died…which I don't plan on doing…for a while at least.

XoxoxoxoX

"So, what were you doing in the hall anyways?" Harry asked Draco.

"Well it's not like everyone was dying to invite me into their compartments." Draco scowled.

"Oh…right. Well come to my compartment then." Harry smiled brightly.

Draco looked at him skeptically. "Yes, I'm sure Weasley and Granger would be delighted to have me there. Maybe we can all sit around and reminisce about fond memories over our school career between the four of us." Sarcasm dripped from his words.

"Like the time Hermione punched you in the face?" Harry grinned.

Draco's face went slightly pink. "That was _not_ funny! She nearly broke my nose!"

Harry laughed at Draco's indignant look. "She didn't hit you _that_ hard!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know that _you_ were actually the one to feel it. I must have just been imagining the pain." Draco scowled at him.

Harry just laughed as they stopped outside his compartment. Draco looked suddenly nervous. Harry turned to look at him with a trace of concern. "They won't, like, jinx you or anything." he smiled.

Draco gave him an almost pleading look that said very plainly, "Are you sure?" he knew that Granger would probably be all for maturity and forgiveness but Weasley wouldn't be that forgiving. In fact it wasn't hard to imagine him throwing a few jinxes.

"Look, it's obviously going to be a bit awkward at first but we'll all just have to get passed it. I'll make sure nothing goes wrong." Harry grinned.

Draco scowled at him. "I don't need you to protect me, Potter. Open the stupid bloody door."

Harry grinned a bit wider and slid the compartment door open. Hermione, Ron, and Neville looked up as the door opened. The smiles that had been on their faces slid off rather quickly at the sight of Draco.

The awkward silence lasted a couple of minutes before Hermione decided to break it. "Um…is…is everything alright, Harry?" Her eyes darted back and forth between him and Draco.

"Yeah. Everything's fine. I asked Draco if he wanted to share our compartment." Harry beamed.

The other three looked at Harry as though he had just expressed his desire to do the conga on the back of an enraged Hippogriff while announcing his love for all things that had to do with Voldemort. "You what?" Ron exclaimed.

"I think it's time to put petty rivalries in the past. Draco agrees with me. The war is over and I'm sick of fighting for no reason. Draco and I have made a truce." Harry looked at them sternly.

Ron looked as though he had been struck with a Beater's bat over the head. Neville looked nervous while Hermione simply looked thoughtful. Prince had awakened at some point and was staring at Harry. Hermione was, once again, the one to break the silence. "Well I think that this is very mature of both of you. I think you'll both be setting a good example for everyone." she smiled.

"What? No way! Are you two joking? It's Malfoy! He's been nothing but a right arse ever since we met him! Have you guys forgotten everything he did?" Ron's face was red with absolute fury. Draco had bitten his bottom lip and was staring at the floor.

"Ron, I'm not saying that you two have to be the best of friends. But Draco said that he wants to put all of this behind him and I want that too." Harry explained with a pleading expression.

"Well I'm not hearing any of this from him! Let's hear him explain how much he regrets being a total prick!" Ron pointed to Draco.

Everyone else looked at the blonde as well, waiting. Draco's cheeks were flushed pink and his eyes had yet to be lifted from looking at the floor. "I've realized that me and my family were on the wrong side. I don't regret what I did though. I did all of that to save my family. What I do regret is that I was forced to do it. I'm sorry for calling you a mudblood, Granger. And I'm also sorry for insulting your family, Weasley. I don't want to fight anymore. All I want is to clean the Malfoy family's tarnished name."

Ron stared at Draco for a few minutes, glaring, before letting out a huff and plopping ungracefully back into his seat. "Yeah well it's not like I can do anything to change Harry or Hermione's minds. But I don't want you to ever consider me on of your damn friends Malfoy."

Draco let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief, sitting down gracefully. "Likewise, Weasley." he smirked.

XoxoxoxoX

Severus was surprised. He never would have suspected a truce between Draco and Potter would ever come into being. He never thought that the two would ever even have a non-hostile conversation. Not only had Potter agreed to a truce he had also defended Draco to his friends.

Severus ignored the voice in his mind that was whispering things about how Harry Potter was indeed nothing like his bastard father. This voice happened to sound horribly like Dumbledore. 'Managing to be a better person than James Potter wouldn't exactly be a difficult feat anyways.' He reasoned with a sneer.

At the very least this development would make it easier for Severus to get to Draco in order to convince him of his true identity. He had dreaded the thought of running around the entire castle in order to secure some time with Draco.

Severus yawned and curled back up in his seat. Ever since he had become a cat he had needed more and more sleep. It was actually quite annoying but there wasn't exactly anything to be done about it. It didn't help that Potter reached over and started scratching him right _there_. It wasn't long before he was asleep once more.

XoxoxoxoX

Harry really, _really_, wanted the awkward silence that loomed over the compartment to come to an end. It just continued to get more and more uncomfortable until he thought he would burst. So, he said the first thing that popped into his head. "So me and Draco were talking about the time Hermione punched him in the face."

Draco sputtered while Hermione went pink and Ron chuckled with Neville. "I was kidding when I suggested we reminisce earlier, Potter!" Draco glared.

"Ah, I remember that day. Hermione, that was awesome!" Ron beamed to his girlfriend.

"It wasn't funny, Weasley! That punch really hurt! Has she ever punched you in the face?" Draco's cheeks flushed pink.

"She set a flock of birds on me once." Ron said thoughtfully.

Draco snickered. "What exactly had you done to deserve that?"

"Absolutely nothing!" Ron exclaimed with a look to Hermione.

"Oh really Ron! You were being a complete arse." Hermione defended herself with a warning glare.

"Speaking of being hit in the face, didn't Harry punch Malfoy on the Quidditch field before?" Neville asked.

"Yes he did!" Draco glared at Harry, outraged. "And you had that bloody snitch in your hand too! You cracked my jaw, you know!"

"You _were_ talking about my mum." Harry reminded.

"Yes well…you've talked about my mother before and I didn't punch you in the face!" Draco scowled.

"Ron punched you in the face too!" Harry pointed accusingly at Ron.

"What? When?" Ron asked, eyes wide.

"During the last battle against Voldemort. He was about to be attacked by a Death Eater but I stunned him before he could do anything to Draco. After that you punched him from under the invisibility cloak." Harry grinned. Draco's glare turned to Ron.

Surprisingly enough, after that the five human occupants of the compartment continued to reminisce until there were only a few minutes until they reached Hogsmead. Severus (Once he had awoken) listened in while nearly rolling his eyes at the absurdity of it all. If there was ever a less likely group to sit around and share bad memories he'd like to know who they were. Thoughts of himself and the Marauders popped into his mind. _"Hm…that is less likely."_ he meowed to himself, his meow catching Draco's attention.

"Whose cat?" said blonde asked.

"Mine. His name's Prince." Harry reached to pet the cat and was met with a glare. Draco reached over to stroke the feline and received only half the glare that Harry had gotten.

"Wow. I think he actually likes you." Ron said with amazement. "I didn't think that bloody cat liked anyone. But I guess it makes sense what with both of you being gits."

"Oh, haha, Weasley. You're wit never fails to astound me." Draco mockingly applauded him.

"What do you guys know about the new Headmaster?" Hermione asked, pulling on her robes.

"He's some old bloke named Galloway from what dad said." Ron answered, his voice muffled because of the robes over his head.

"There's a new Potions Professor too. A woman named Chambers. She's the new head of Slytherin since Slughorn went back into retirement. And I heard they gave Professor Lupin his Defense Against the Dark Arts job back." Draco informed, straitening his robes.

"What? Really?" Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"Well yeah, Harry. Don't you remember hearing about it this summer? That law that Umbridge passed against werewolves was taken away after she was sent to Azkaban. What did you think we were celebrating about at the end of June?" Hermione asked with a role of her eyes.

"Oh, I don't know, the end of the bloody war?" Harry shot back sarcastically. He did remember that Remus and Sirius had seemed a lot happier, but he had assumed that their reason was the same as everyone else's. Now he felt like an idiot who didn't pay proper attention. "But that's great! Is Sirius coming with him?"

"I think so. It's not like he has to stay locked up anymore." Hermione answered, all of them gathering up their possessions.

"So Umbridge landed in Azkaban, huh?" Neville grinned.

"Yeah. Harry testified against her. She's there for the next thirty years without parole." Ron beamed as they all clambered off the train and onto a carriage. "So any other info on this new Potion Professor?"

"She's a pureblood from an old family. Apparently they made their fortune in dragon breeding. My family has never had much to do with them. I've heard her parents brag about her potion making abilities at parties but other than that I couldn't say." Draco shrugged.

"Really? My Gran is friends with her grandparents and they were always talking about how she used to get in trouble for doing a bunch of experiments that ended in explosions." Neville frowned as they approached the school.

"Well it's no use to listen to rumors. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Hermione stated. The group walked into the castle with the hundreds of others. As they approached the Great Hall Harry looked to Draco.

"Are you going to sit with the Slytherins?"

The blonde scoffed. "No, I'm going to sit with a bunch of bloody Gryffindors. Who do you think you're talking to, Potter?" he sneered.

"Right, right. Sorry." Harry smiled as the group entered the Great Hall.

XoxoxoxoX

Severus was _not_ amused at being left in his cage to wait for the house elves to come and take him to Potter's quarters. So he did the only thing that seemed appropriate, he studied the lock of the bloody cage in hopes of being able to open it. The lock wasn't exactly complex, a simple sliding bar. If he managed to hook his claw onto it just right he could probably get it opened.

It turned out not to be as easy as Severus had first thought it would be. 'Damn that stupid boy.' he thought as the lock once again slipped from his claw.

"Would you like some help, Professor Snape?" A slightly misty voice asked.

"_What?"_ Severus' eyes snapped to the young woman whom was now standing over his cage. Luna Lovegood smiled back at him. "_You know who I am?"_

"Well yes. If you don't mind me saying, it was pretty easy to figure out." Luna replied airily.

"_You can hear me as well?"_ Severus was sure that his eyes were widened comically in shock.

"Oh yes. I can hear your voice in my head. I was just coming out here to look for some Albino Clippies, they like to stay near cats you see, and that's when I saw you trying to get out of your cage." Luna explained, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"_Yes, but how is it that you could tell that it was me?" _Out of all the people who could have realized it was him why did it have to be this odd girl?

"Well you just look a lot like your human self, I guess. It's probably the eyes." She nodded to herself.

Severus simply blinked at her. He had always heard that the Lovegood girl was a bit strange but apparently he hadn't put nearly enough stock in those rumors. Then again, if this girl could recognize him with one glance then surely the others would realize it was him eventually. And, thinking of the others, _"Miss Lovegood I need you to keep quiet about this. I would prefer if you told no one but most importantly not Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, or Miss Granger. Do you understand?"_

"Alright then. To be perfectly honest I doubt that anyone would believe me anyways. People usually don't believe me for some reason. Which is completely odd since I don't usually lie." Luna said in an almost sing song voice.

Severus wondered for a moment if she had just guessed it was him by sheer chance but decided that it was of very little importance. _"Would you please open this cage?" _

"Oh yes." Luna bent down and opened the latch. "Enjoy the feast. I saw the new Potions Master and she doesn't really seem like she'll be as good at potions as you were. But she might be a better teacher. It never really seemed like you enjoyed it much." She continued to muse mistily.

Severus decided to ignore her rambling, not to mention he felt the intense need to shake the odd incident from his mind, and headed for the Great Hall. He had heard Draco talking about the new Potions Professor. Her name was Chambers. Surely it wasn't Clarice Chambers. He had taught her in his second year of teaching. Usually she was an adequate student but she had the awful tendency to experiment with ingredients that usually weren't mixed. He couldn't count the number of times he had to send an entire class to the infirmary while Miss Chambers graced his class.

No, it _couldn't_ be Clarice Chambers. Surely the other teachers remembered her and had warned the new Headmaster against hiring her. However, as Severus entered the Great Hall there sat Clarice Chambers. Long mousy hair framed her plump face the same way it had in her Hogwarts days and her dark eyes roamed the hall shining with excitement.

'_Fantastic. The children who are responsible for retuning me to humanity are all going to die in an explosion.'_ Severus thought with a glare to the new "Potions Master".

Severus managed to find Potter at the Gryffindor table and proceeded to climb onto the boys lap. Harry jumped at the feeling of claws but then looked down amusedly at the cat. "Hello Prince." Harry smiled, petting Prince's ears.

Severus batted his hand away with a hiss. _"Just give me some food, boy."_

Harry grinned at Severus' meow. "I guess you're hungry." He grabbed some turkey from his plate and gave it to the ravenous cat.

"How did Prince get here?" Hermione asked, frowning at the feline.

"How in Merlin's name would I know that? He must have figured a way out of his cage." Harry fed Severus another bit of meat. Prince accepted his offering and then leaned on the table with his front paws, lapping pumpkin juice out of Harry's goblet.

"You know, I've been thinking that he's awfully smart for a common house cat. Maybe he's part kneazle or something like that." Hermione mused. Severus looked at her. Maybe he should start trying to convince Granger first.

Severus finished eating and began surveying the room. McGonagall was shooting cold glances to the new Headmaster. Galloway, however, didn't seem to notice the looks. Instead he looked out at the Great Hall with a slightly smug look on his bearded face.

Severus wondered what he had done to get on Minerva's bad side. Surely he realized that being the Headmaster would be immensely easier with the Transfiguration Professor with him than against him. She had done her best to make Severus' life hell for the short time he had been Headmaster. Not to mention the fact that all the other teachers would follow her example. If Galloway wasn't careful he wouldn't be Headmaster much longer.

It wasn't long before the feast had been eaten and Galloway got to his feet. "I welcome all of you to Hogwarts. My name is Aelfric Galloway and I have been given the privilege of being the new Headmaster at this rather outstanding school. My only hope is that I might provide half as much guidance and wisdom as my predecessors.

"As many of you are aware, we have another new addition to the staff this year. Please welcome Professor Chambers who will be taking over as Potions Master. Also, I would like to welcome back Professor Lupin who will be reclaiming his post as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." There was loud applause for Lupin's return which he acknowledged with a pleased smile, Sirius grinning next to him. "Many of you will also be aware that this year there are a few students that were unable to attend their last year because of the war. For those of you that have returned, I have had special Chambers set up since there is no longer any room in your old dormitories. The heads of your houses will be the ones to show you the rooms. You will be having classes with the currant seventh years." He nodded to the room. "It is my greatest hope that this year we can all move on from the horror of war and move on into a new era of peace and togetherness, a new era of hope and learning. For now, I bid you goodnight."

Severus frowned. Throughout Galloway's entire speech the smug look had remained on his face. McGonagall was still shooting him cold looks as the student body clamored to their feet. Harry tightened his hold on Severus as he stood up. The cat shot his a half-hearted glare.

McGonagall came over to where Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville were standing. "If you will all follow me I will lead you to your new rooms." She gave them a slight smile. They followed her to a corridor not far from where Gryffindor tower was located. She stopped in front of a picture of a young man standing underneath a cherry blossom tree. The boy turned to look at them with smiling eyes. "Ferocitas." McGonagall said, making him swing forward with a smile.

The room that the door opened to was rather large and quite homey. There was a two-person sofa and two comfy looking arm chairs in front of a large fire place. The walls were lined partially by bookshelves as well as four desks for them to do their homework at. There were also four doors that Harry guessed led to their bedrooms. "I'm sure you find your rooms satisfactory. Off the record, I'd like to warn you three since Mr. Longbottom is no longer in Potions, please be careful around Professor Chambers. Goodnight." And with that she left.

"I guess she does like to cause explosions if even McGonagall is warning us against her." Ron mused.

"And to think they let someone like that become a teacher!" Hermione looked scandalized.

"We'll just have to be careful." Harry put Prince down, going over to get the cat food and water dish from his trunk. He set them up near the fire place and filled them.

Severus walked slowly around the room. The color scheme was, predictably, in Gryffindor colors. Thought they were considerably toned down compared to the clashing mess of the Gryffindor common room. Deciding that this might not be completely awful he leapt up onto the armchair closest to the fire.

He needed to think about what he was going to do. With the four people he needed in Miss Chamber's class something was sure to go horribly wrong. With his luck one or more of them would die in a fiery blast. He was beginning to think that it wasn't so important to think about it right not as the warmth of the fire began to wrap him in its arms and pull him into sleep.

XoxoxoxoX

Harry tossed and turned that night. Having one of the many dreams that had haunted him since the war. He was in what looked like an abandoned building. Was it the Shrieking Shack? "Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?" A girl's voice spoke from behind him. He twirled around to find no one. The words were familiar though and he wondered who he had heard say them.

"No…it doesn't make any difference." This time it was a boy's voice from behind him. He turned again, half expecting no one to be there again. Instead there stood Snape. The wound from Nagini was still bleeding and Harry was terrified. Snape took a step forward and gazed deep into Harry's eyes. "Look…at…me…"

All Harry could see was those black eyes. Pain filled, suffering, and then dead. He awoke with a gasp to see those same obsidian eyes glaring down at him. "AUGH!" Prince hissed as Harry tumbled off his bed. Harry trying to catch himself and not crush the cat that had been sitting on his chest.

"Harry what's wrong?" Ron burst into the room. "What are you doing?"

Harry glared up from where he was tangled in the blankets on the floor. "Prince scared me." he huffed.

"You're finally catching on then? That cat's been scaring me since you got it." Ron smirked as Harry untangled himself. Severus hissed at him and then looked back to Harry.

"_You didn't put out anywhere for me to use the bathroom you useless idiot of a boy!" _He hissed loudly, pacing back and forth.

"What's wrong with him?" Harry asked, staring at Prince as he paced around the room meowing.

"He's a nutter?" Ron raised an eyebrow at the cat. 

Severus turned back to them with a glare and stalked up to Harry. _"Get me a litter box, you dolt!"_ He yowled as he clawed Potter's exposed feet.

"Ow!" Harry jumped away from the furious cat.

"Harry? Ron? What are you two doing?" Hermione asked as she came into the room.

"Prince has gone even more crazy and clawed Harry." Ron laughed.

"Oh Harry, don't bleed on the carpet!" Hermione scolded.

"Oh yes! Well I'll just stop my blood flow, shall I?" Harry snapped.

Severus was sure that he would find all of this a lot more amusing if his bladder wasn't about to burst. He meowed again, loudly, and Hermione turned to look at him. "Harry, he probably needs to use the bathroom." She said matter-of-factly. "You don't have a litter box for him, do you?"

"No." Harry mumbled. "I guess he just went outside to use the bathroom at the Burrow."

Hermione rolled her eyes and went over to Harry's bed. She transfigured one of the pillows into a litter bow with a cover. Then she whispered a spell that filled it with sand. Prince rushed into it as soon as she had placed it in a corner of Harry's room.

"Guys, we need to get to breakfast." Neville informed, peaking into the room.

"We're coming." Hermione said. "Harry put your foot onto your trunk and I'll heal it."

Severus came out of the litter box as Granger was healing Potter. She finished up and she and Weasley left to let Potter get dressed. "You didn't have to claw me, you crazy cat." Harry glared at Prince.

"_I'll claw you whenever I feel you're being unforgivably stupid."_ Severus quipped.

"Don't you meow at me." Harry smirked, shoving the cat with his foot. Prince hissed at him and then stalked out of the room, his tail held high.

Severus slipped out of the entrance as the four Gryffindors left for breakfast. "Harry, you let Prince out." Hermione pointed out.

"He doesn't need to stay locked up in there all day. Crookshanks doesn't stay locked up." Harry looked to Prince, who was leading the way to the great hall.

"He's going to get sick if you keep feeding his human food." Hermione scowled at him.

"He's fine, Hermione. I don't tell you how to take care of your cat." Harry glared at her and Hermione pursed her lips angrily.

Severus, as usual, ate off Harry's plate. Lapping tea out of his cup. Hermione scrunched her nose up but didn't say anything. "What's our first class?" Ron asked, trying to get his girlfriend's attention off the cat.

"Potions. We have it with the-"

"Slytherins?" Harry guessed with a smirk.

"Well…yes." Hermione allowed herself a small smile as well.

"I'm shocked!" Ron gasped sarcastically.

"Ron, what's Charlie doing here?" Harry asked, spotting Ron's second oldest brother at the staff table.

"Oh, didn't I tell you guys? Mum asked him to stay here for a bit instead of rushing back to Romania. Since the war ended and with Fred…not being around she wanted him to stay close for a bit. He offered to help Hagrid out with Care of Magical Creatures." Ron explained.

"With both him and Hagrid here how long do you wanna bet it is before they have a dragon living in the forest?" Harry grinned.

"Two weeks at the most." Ron grinned back.

Over at the Slytherin table Draco was noticing the new addition as well. "Hey Blaise. Who is that?"

"Who?" Blaise looked up from his oatmeal to the staff table.

"The redhead. The one sitting next to Hagrid." Draco pointed out.

"Isn't he a Weasley?" Blaise asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you serious?" The blonde exclaimed, looking back at the man. His hair was a darker red than that of his siblings and his skin was much tanner. Draco felt his cheeks heat up as the Weasley's blue eyes focused on him. He looked away quickly. "Just what this school needs. More Weasleys." He hoped his voice was steady enough to convince Blaise that nothing was wrong.

"So that's the kind of guy you go for, huh?" Blaise deadpanned with a smirk.

Draco sputtered in embarrassed anger. "I don't know what you're talking about! What would make you even think that I like guys?"

"Draco…Pansy used to practically bend over and beg you to fuck her. You never even looked twice at her. The only thing you would ever let her get away with was stroking your hair…and you'll let anyone do that." Blaise pointed out smugly.

"I most certainly would not!" Draco's cheeks turned a lovely pink color.

"Try telling me, truthfully, that you didn't order Goyle to pet your hair in first year." Blaise raised an eyebrow at the blonde.

"We have to get to Potions." Draco feigned a straight face. Blaise just laughed.

"You mean _you_ have to get to Potions. I'm not taking it." Blaise grinned.

"Oh. Right then. See you in a bit." Draco grabbed his bag and headed for the dungeons. The Golden Trio was already there when he entered. Draco glanced around and spotted three Slytherins sitting at a back table. They looked back, sending him cold looks before turning to ignore him completely. Draco barely held back a sneer and headed for the table that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at. "Good morning." he said stiffly.

"Morning!" Harry smiled at him.

"You're adapting to this a bit too well." Draco sneered half-heartedly.

"I could punch you in the face to make you feel batter." Ron offered. Draco shot him a glare.

"Everyone please take your seats." Professor Chambers ordered as she entered the classroom. She was grinning happily as she surveyed the class. It was a major difference from Snape (Who had never smiled at _any_ class.) and even Slughorn (Who had only smiled at _certain people_ in each class.) "Welcome to your N.E.W.T.S potion class. Today I've chosen a potion that should be enough to test your skills even if you are quite talented in Potions. We will be brewing a potion called Nex Subsisto. Can anyone tell me what this potion does?"

Hermione's hand, predictably, was the first in the air. Chambers had barely motioned to her before she started answering. "Nex Subsisto is a potion that can stop you from dying from any illness. If a healer can't find out what's wrong with you and you're dying from a magical sickness they will administer Nex Subsisto and it will stop you from dying." Hermione smiled.

"Very good. Five points to Gryffindor. Now, can anyone tell me what the main ingredient is?"

Once again Hermione's hand was thrust into the air. Professor Chambers' smirk was enough to launch Hermione into another explanation. "There are two main ingredients. Freshly picked hellebore blossoms and blood willingly given from a unicorn."

"Exactly. Take another five points. In this potion it is essential that the unicorn blood is given willingly. This is because if you slay a unicorn for its blood you will be cursed forever. This, of course, makes unicorns blood a very rare and valuable ingredient. Luckily, Professor Hagrid has the unicorns in the forest used enough to him that they'll allow him to take some of their blood. The directions are on the board. As this is also my first time with this potion I will be brewing it as well." Her eyes had lit up in unmistakable excitement.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco gave each other looks that clearly said, "Let's be _really_ careful."

XoxoxoxoX

Severus was leisurely strolling the halls. He had been planning on following Potter and company to their first class but in the end he had lost them in a sea of legs. So he had decided to head down at a more relaxed pace.

That wasn't mentioning that navigating the halls in the form of a cat was much different than doing so as a human. However, he was sure that he was going the right way to the dungeons. _"You lost?" _Asked a darkly feminine voice. Severus turned quickly to see Mrs. Norris watching him.

"_No."_ Severus answered, edging away from the other cat. Something about the way she was looking at him was putting him on edge. Her tail swooshed back and forth excitedly. _"Can I help you?"_

"_You're new here this year, right? I could show you around."_ She offered, stepping closer to him.

He took a step back. _"No thank you. I know where I'm going."_

"_Oh come on. It'll be more fun with the two of us. I could show you quite the good time."_ She rubbed herself against Severus with a purr.

Severus jumped back with a hiss. Surely this couldn't be happening. Surely he wasn't being hit on by a cat. _"I'm leaving."_ he growled at her.

As he stalked away she followed with a small laugh. _"You can't get away. I know this castle like the end of my tail."_ she purred.

Severus growled at her. _"Why are you so interested in me? There are plenty of others who I'm sure would share your company."_

"_I've already been with most of them. You're new but sort of…familiar. Have we met before?"_ She gave him a scrutinizing look.

"_No."_ Severus snapped.

"_What's your name then?"_

"_Prince."_

"_Well, you may not know it yet, but you're going to be mine."_ With a meow she leapt onto Severus.

Severus hissed loudly as she attempted to pin him down. He should have known that Filch's cat would be just as crazy as the man who owned her. He clawed at her, yowling furiously. He was just about to land a good swipe across her face when he was grabbed roughly by the scruff of his neck and hauled into the air.

"Get away from my cat you putrid creature!" Filch growled, his disgusting breath in Severus' face. Severus hissed at the man and clawed at his face, causing him to drop Severus. Filch aimed a kick at him, which narrowly missed, as he streaked away. Mrs. Norris stayed behind, pouting.

Severus was going to kill Dumbledore. He knew that Albus was currently dead, and that he had already killed the man once, but he'd be damned if he didn't find a way to kill the man again. He growled to himself as he finally managed to make it to the dungeons.

He walked into the potion's classroom hesitantly. Clarice Chambers was telling the class about the potion that they would be brewing that day. Miss Granger's hand was, of course, the first in the air to answer any questions. That's when Severus heard it. The name Nex Subsisto. No…surely Chambers wouldn't have them attempt _that_ potion.

Severus himself had only brewed Nex Subsisto four times in his life. Only three of which were successful. The beginning of the brewing process was deceptively easy. It took a hard turn for the worst right after you added the dried Fimbriata. If you didn't stir in a figure eight _exactly_ as the Fimbriata hit the potion it would explode. Horribly. Severus still had scars on his arms from his disastrous first attempt. Or…he would still have them if he weren't in a cat's body.

Severus glanced quickly around the classroom. Students were in pairs of four, which was the best number of people to have when working this potion. Potter, Granger, Weasley, and Draco were all working diligently over their cauldron. Severus slunk over to Potter, clawing his way onto his lap.

Harry jumped slightly and looked down. "Prince? What are you doing here?"

"_I'm here to make sure that none of you kill yourselves."_ Severus meowed.

"Harry, please add four dragon scales." Hermione ordered, stirring the cauldron.

Harry jumped up, putting Prince on his seat. "You know, for a potion that has such amazing results it's not that hard to make." Ron mused, dropping ground daisy roots into the potion as Draco cut a frog spleen into fourths.

"I know. I mean, as long as you have a few people all working on it together it's really not that difficult." Hermione smiled.

Severus hissed at them, attracting their attention. "What's your cat doing here, Potter?" Draco asked.

"He must have snuck into the classroom. Maybe he's a fan of potions." Harry smiled.

"Well just make sure he doesn't come near the potion." Hermione frowned. "Draco would you add the dried Fimbriata?" Severus' eyes widened. He meowed and leapt onto the table. "Shoo Prince. Go!" Hermione gently shoved the cat. Severus hissed at her and tried again to get over to Draco.

"_Get out of my way you foolish girl!"_ he hissed just as Draco dropped the plant.

Harry, who was standing next to Draco in order to start stirring, was the first to notice something was wrong. The potion, which should have been royal purple, was an angry orange. It was only an instant before the potion began bubbling dangerously. Prince hissed and leapt off the table. "Get down!" Harry shoved Draco out of the way just as the potion exploded.

There were screams as Harry was drenched in the boiling potion. Hermione and Ron were calling his name. Prince was hissing loudly as Draco sputtered in shock. There were yells and screams and orders being barked out. The shouts and screams seemed to just get louder and louder as Harry lost consciousness.

XoxoxoxoX

Harry woke up to the sound of someone yelling. He could only open one eye and it felt like his skull had been broken into numerous pieces and then clumsily taped back together. Just from looking at the ceiling he knew; he was in the hospital wing.

Blearily, he tried to focus on the voices. "-completely irresponsible! He could have been killed! Anyone in there could have been killed! Having the children brew Nex Subsisto? Have you even glanced at the approved potions to teach in this school? Even Severus barely brewed that potion. He said himself that it was a very challenging potion to brew! But you had no second thoughts about putting all of those children in danger!" That was McGonagall's voice.

"None of that is true! None of the other groups' potions blew up! That group obviously must have done something wrong!" Chambers screamed back.

"According to Miss Granger they were ahead of the other groups! I don't doubt this, seeing as they had Miss Granger who has always been at the top of her class as well as Mr. Malfoy whose best subject is potions!"

"Ladies! I have sleeping patients! Please be quiet or take this elsewhere." Madame Pomfrey ordered in a carrying whisper.

"I'll be taking this up with Galloway, Clarice. You can count on that." With that McGonagall stormed out of the Hospital Wing, not noticing the lanky black cat that slipped in.

Severus walked up to Potter's bed quietly. Nearly his entire head was wrapped in bandages as well as his arms. Severus shook his head and leapt onto the bed. "Hey Prince. Come to keep me company?"

"_No. I've come because you're an idiot and I dearly wish that I could speak in order to remind you of that fact every few minutes. Not to mention the fact that Granger shut me out of your rooms."_ Severus meowed.

It amazed Severus how stupid Potter could be sometimes. He hadn't hesitated in the slightest to jump in front of Draco. Just like a bloody Gryffindor. It reminded Severus, rather forcibly, of Lily. She would have done the same thing. _'Stupid boy.'_ Harry was gently petting Severus with his one undamaged hand. Severus was purring unknowingly as both he and Potter drifted off to sleep.

XoxoxoxoX End Chapter

Author Note: Whew! That was a long one. I'm really nervous about a few things in this chapter. First, Luna. Was she in character? I feel like she's really hard to do. Really. Second, I really hope you guys don't feel like there are too many OC's. I know that there are a few but please don't worry. None of them will be becoming main characters in any way. And it's hard not to have a few OC's with a story like this. As always I worry over all the other characters. So, if you think I did a good job (Or a not so good job.) please tell me. As always, please review but no flames. Flames make me just pretty sad. I love all of you!


	5. Chapter 5

A Cat's Life

Chapter 5: Things That Ron Weasley Knows

A/n: Hello, my beloved readers! Do you all know how awesome you guys are? Supermegafoxyawesomehot! Yeah, that's how awesome. Please don't kill me for making you wait so very long. I'm only a hapless college student! I will do my very best to assure faster updates in the future.

Aliengirlguy: Thank you! I really was worried about Luna but it seems everyone was satisfied with her so…yay! I'm super glad you like Clarice. Even though she is a bit hopeless.

Avid Anon: Hehehe. Yeah, I always knew Luna was going to be the first to figure it out and I always planned on her reaction being like, Oh…well okay then. And yes, Mrs. Norris is definitely not leaving poor Sev alone any time soon. Also, in my experience no one has ever written a review that long. And I've tried.

Animegirl03: Thank you!

Jens2: Thanks a lot for reviewing.

SeverusSnapePrincess10: Why thank you! Yes, dear Professor Chambers isn't very talented is she? But she is a fun character to write.

Bkerrmom1: Thank you very much.

Smile-Evily: I'm glad you think so. Thank you for the review.

Brattypapita: Well they all have punched him at some point. I figured, what better to have them reminisce about? I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Tonks-is-cool: Thank you so much not only for your review but for the thoughtful PMs you sent me. Your advice on quality names is much appreciated. Also, I know my profile is quite extensive. I'm impressed by anyone who would try to read it all. *laughs* But you may use anything that you like for your own profile. I found most of it in other places anyways. Thanks again.

Tinkering: Thank you very much.

ThisIsTheOnlyNameICouldPick: Indeed. It is unwise to underestimate the fangirls. They have power…powerful power. And no, there will be no Drarry in this fic. Sorry. Thanks for the review.

New moongirl: Thank you. I did think that out of all of them Luna would probably be the one to just randomly figure it out. And Chambers, bless her, is quite dangerous.

Seto K4iba1: I'm glad to hear I kept her in character. Thank you for the kind words.

LostInYourThoughts: I'm glad to hear you like my little fic. I'm sorry the next chapter took so long. And don't worry. Others will definitely find out Sev's secret soon.

Emily-pino: I'm glad that I've managed to keep Sev in character. Sometimes it is difficult but I seem to be getting the hang of it. Thank you for the review.

ScaryPencils: Yes, it annoys me a bit when they make Severus completely gay. He was in love with Lily in the books. Changing this only takes away something important from the character. Thus, he is bi. Thank you for all your kind words. I'm not sure I deserve them.

Sunscorona: I have heard of Kamelot. Good band. Love You to Death is my favorite song of theirs. Thanks for your review.

Zaaraffluv: Thank you for your review.

Munku-JGSPTV: Well who doesn't like kitty!Snape? Thanks for your review!

DarkKiay: Ah, my beloved Elizabeth, this fic is destined to be Snarry. Even though Drarry is so awesome. Also, Harry pulling the, as you put it, Sorry I'm Gay card on Ginny was hilarious. I'm sure something like that happened later in their lives in the books anyways.

Tokugawa Blitzer: Thank you for the compliments. I'm glad that people seem rather accepting of the OCs so far. I'll try my best with them.

Emily Redbird: Hehehe. Yes, Galloway really should have found out a bit more about dear Professor Chambers. But could Dumbledore really have talked? He did hire a lot of questionable folks.

shadowX101:  Thank you.

Ej-83: Thanks for your review!

Laceypinkdream: Thank you very much!

BlackRain-BlackBlood: Sorry it took so long! Thanks for your review!

XoxoxoxoxoX

Despite what many people thought, there were several things that Ron Weasley knew. He knew that he loved Hermione Granger. He knew that Harry Potter would always be his best mate. He knew that he had seen Malfoy staring at Charlie the other day in the Great Hall and he wanted to know what that was about.

Ron knew some more troubling things too. He knew that Harry had third degree burns on his face and arms. He knew Madame Pomfrey had said that some of the scars would never completely fade. Ron knew that this was completely Malfoy's fault. But most of all, what Ron knew at the moment was that he was going to kill that creepy cat if it didn't stop staring at him.

Severus sat staring at Weasley, who was staring back. _"Get me some actual food, you waste of space."_ He growled.

Ever since Potter had went into the hospital wing all Granger had been giving him was dry cat food. One morning he had actually been desperate enough to try it. It was vile. He would sooner starve to death than dine on that garbage.

Severus looked pointedly at his cat dish, then back to Weasley with a meow. "Hermione said no human food. She's the boss so you'd better get used to it." Ron glared at the cat.

"_I don't care what the know-it-all said. Get me food."_ Severus hissed.

Out of all the cats Ron had ever met, this one was the weirdest. He wasn't for sure but he really believed that Prince understood everything anyone was saying. And it sometimes seemed like he tried to respond too. Ron had known smart cats. Heck, Crookshanks was no dummy. Prince though, he was creepy smart. It made him wish that Harry had just chosen the kitten that Hermione had shown him.

Severus was not amused. At least Potter fed him. Shooting a dark look to Weasley he stalked over to the portrait hole, scratching at it. _"At least let me out."_ He growled.

Rom glared right back at the cat, getting up and opening the door. He considered aiming a kick at the cat as he slipped out but reconsidered when he remembered what Prince had done to Harry's foot not too long ago.

Just as Ron sat down Hermione came in. Ron shot a guilty look to her. She had gone to visit Harry, telling Ron that he wasn't allowed to go until he had completed at least half of his essay for charms. He had gotten distracted by that blasted cat.

"How's Harry?" Ron asked, trying to distract his girlfriend from his nearly blank essay.

"He's doing loads better. Madame Pomfrey has a great potion for burns. They've been able to take the bandages off his face. There's barely any scarring. But it was his arms that got the worst of it. There may be some bad scars there." Hermione informed while taking a seat next to Ron.

"Yeah well I still think it should be Malfoy in that hospital bed." Ron grumbled. Hermione shot him a disapproving look.

"You know that Draco feels awful about it. And it wasn't like he asked Harry to leap in front of him." She scolded.

Ron, deep down, knew that this was true. The day after it had happened Malfoy had marched his way up to the hospital wing and let Harry have it. "Did I ask you to help me Potter? You think you're the only one who can take a boiling potion to the face around here? Stop bloody saving me Potter! I'm not a damn girl! Stop acting the hero! We get that you would die to protect a leprous sinner with vest and vigor if given the opportunity! If you do it again I'll brew a potion, let it boil, and dump it over your enormously stupid head!" And then Draco had stormed out.

Harry had grinned and called out, "You're welcome!" This had made Hermione laugh. Ron however, actually sided with Malfoy on this one. Harry should have let the blonde get hurt.

Hermione frowned as she read the Daily Prophet followed by a gasp. "What's wrong?" Ron asked. Anytime Hermione reacted like that to a newspaper the news wasn't good.

"Five people dead. Aurors' suspect that the recent deaths of five Ministry members are linked with Death Eaters who have yet to be apprehended. 'We are on their tracks.' Said Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt. 'In the meantime we ask everyone to stay cautious. The danger is not yet completely passed.' Meanwhile people are wondering if there are any suspects. Aurors have said that there are several but they are unable to narrow it down at this point." Hermione read aloud.

Ron frowned angrily. "Damn it. You-Know-Who may be dead but that didn't mean that they captured all of his psycho followers."

"How many did your dad say they thought were left? Death Eaters, I mean." Hermione asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"He said that there were six known Death Eaters that got away. Four of those have been recaptured but there could be others that we don't know about." Ron answered.

"Ron…you don't think they might come after Harry, do you?" Hermione's voice quivered at the thought.

Ron sighed. "It'll be fine, 'Mione." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Ron knew another thing too. Their problems were far from over.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Severus ran into the Hospital Wing at breakneck speed, leaping onto Harry's bed. Mrs. Norris was right on his tail. Harry gasped as Prince landed on his stomach, knocking the breath out of him. "Prince? I'm still hurt! Are you crazy?"

Mrs. Norris stopped next Harry's bed, meowing. Severus hissed at her viciously. Harry peeked over the side of the bed, seeing the dusty colored cat that had Prince all riled up. "Is she bothering you Prince? Here." With a wave of his wand he banished a yowling Mrs. Norris from the room. Severus smirked.

"_Well Potter, I suppose you're not as useless as I thought. Though I suppose you've always been adequate at getting rid of pests."_ Severus stretched, his claws barely poking Harry through the blanket. _"Now feed me before I starve to death as Miss Granger seems to want me to do."_

Severus looked pointedly at the tray of food that Madame Pomfrey had brought in a few minutes previous. "You're hungry I take it?" Harry grabbed the tray and started to feed Prince bits of chicken. "Hermione not giving you any human food?"

Severus meowed in agreement just as Luna skipped into the room. "Hello Harry. I heard that you blew yourself up. I brought you some chocolate and a snuffire root." She smiled dreamily.

"A what?" Harry asked, looking at the root in Luna's hand that looked like a tangled ball of yarn and was giving off the strong smell of baked apples.

"It's used to bring people luck in potions. You should probably keep it close when you go back to class. When are they letting you out?"

"Madame Pomfrey said that I could leave in about five days. She's done pretty well with the scarring. I should be back to normal pretty soon." He smiled.

"Well that's nice but I would still take the snuffire with you. I'm sure the professor agrees with me." Luna looked at Severus as she smiled.

Harry looked at Luna then at Prince with a confused expression. "What professor?" Severus' eyes were widened.

"Professor McGonagall of course. She seemed worried about you. I heard that she yelled at Professor Chambers about the whole thing." Luna stared at the ceiling as if she had found something interesting up there. "Well I'll go now. I hope you get better Harry." And with that she drifted away.

"She is the weirdest girl I've ever met. I'd swear she was calling you professor." Harry mused, looking down at Prince.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Draco had always loved attention. In fact it was what had gotten him into a few sticky situations over his school career. However, this was one of those times when, like in his sixth year, he really didn't want attention.

Students stared at him as he walked passed. Their glares were nearly enough to set him on fire. Whispers followed these glares like hissing snakes or angry hornets. "He nearly killed Harry Potter."

"I bet he did it on purpose."

"Death Eater scum."

"He's always hated Harry."

Draco hated it. Blaise and, surprisingly, Granger helped him in any way that they could. But they couldn't stop the thrice damned whispering. "Just ignore them, Draco. We know what really happened." Hermione whispered to him as they walked to Herbology.

Granger had taken; rather quickly it seemed to Draco, to being his friend. On day he had gotten fed up and asked her about it. "Well you've changed, haven't you? You don't call me a mudblood; you don't think that Voldemort was right, you're sorry for what you did. So forgive and forget, right?" Draco hadn't known what to say to that. So in the end he had just nodded and decided to let her do whatever she liked.

Weasley, however, wasn't like Granger. He had made it very known that he blamed Draco for what happened to Potter and didn't agree in the slightest with Hermione and Harry trying to be friends with him. This wasn't a real surprise to Draco anyways. He hadn't figured that Weasley would be forgiving and accepting. Still, he was doing all he could to make up for what he had done. How could Weasley possibly blame him for the potion blowing up?

But there was a bright side to Granger's friendship. People tended to leave him alone when she was with him. Unfortunately, Granger couldn't always be with him. "Hey Malfoy! Off to try and kill another war hero?" A Gryffindor yelled as Draco walked to class.

Draco decided to take Granger's advice, something he never thought he'd do, and try to ignore them. That didn't work so well when the boy who spoke hit him with Petrificus Totalus while his back was turned.

A group of boys surrounded him as he fell, painfully landing on his face. One of them kicked him over onto his back after a moment. All of the seventh years who had cornered him on the train were there as well as about five more of their friends. "Potter isn't here to take mercy on you this time. Too bad you blew him up." The one named Lyons grinned.

"What the hell do you lot think you're doing?" A slightly gruff voice asked.

The boys, seeing Charlie Weasley, bolted. Charlie walked up to Draco kneeling on the floor next to him. With a wave of his wand he released him from the invisible binds. "Are you alright?" he asked with a crooked smile.

"I'm fine!" Draco snapped, his embarrassment making him edgy, as he climbed to his feet. He dreaded the feeling of his cheeks heating up.

Charlie chuckled as he stood up as well. "You're Draco Malfoy, right? Ron's mentioned you before."

Draco shot him a glare. "Well I'm sure what he had to say was lovely." He snipped.

"They weren't the kindest words ever spoken." The redhead smirked as he followed Draco down the hall. "But Ron can be kind of stupid. I'm sure you've noticed."

Draco snorted at the understatement. "Why are you following me? And why are you being so nice to me?"

"You're kind of interesting. And you seem like you could use someone to talk to." Charlie shrugged.

Draco turned to glare at him. "I don't need you to talk to me out of pity! You can leave me alone!" he snarled.

"Hey, calm down! Did I say I was talking to you out of pity? Are you always this suspicious of people? Is it a Slytherin thing or something?" Charlie asked with raised eyebrows.

"No, it's a being me thing!" Draco frowned when he realized how childish he sounded. "Everyone in this school is out to get me. In case you don't know, they actually have a good reason to be! I was a Death Eater! I nearly killed Harry bloody Potter! I'm nothing but scum to these people! Even the teachers look at me like I'm trash! And there's nothing that I can do about—"

Draco was cut off as Charlie pressed a finger over his lips. "I know. I know all of that. But you don't deserve to be treated worse than an animal for something you couldn't control. They shouldn't treat you like that. So, if you ever need any help just call me. I'll help you." Charlie smiled down at him.

Draco felt his face heat up as he stared at the older man. "W-why? Why are you so willing to help me?"

"Because I like you. And because I know that helping you is the right thing to do." He reached out and tucked a stray strand of Draco's hair behind his ear. "Enjoy your next class." He winked.

Draco was left in a daze as Charlie waved and walked away. It took him a few minutes to realize that he was in front of the Transfiguration classroom. He went in, trying not to let Weasley and Granger notice his pink cheeks.

"I assume you have a good reason for being late, Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall asked with a stern look.

"No Professor. I'm sorry." Draco mumbled as he took the seat beside Hermione. McGonagall took five points from Slytherin and continued with class.

XoxoxoxoxoX

"So…do you _loooove _him?" Blaise asked with a cheery smile.

"Shut up Zambini!" Draco snapped with a blush. He had decided to confide in Blaise about his interest in Charlie Weasley. Not that he had much interest. At all. In fact it was more like just a passing fancy. However, no matter what it was, he still should have thought twice before telling Blaise.

"Well in all honesty I think he's quite interested in you." Blaise smirked as Draco's cheeks went pink yet again.

"You have no proof of that." The blonde scowled.

"He rescued your butt didn't he?"

"Well if that's your proof then Potter fancies me as well." Draco pointed out.

"Well maybe he does! Think about it! Both Potter and the older Weasley are in love with you and they decide to have a duel to figure out who shall win the maiden's favor. They shall fight to the death over you!" Blaise grinned widely.

"I'm not a maiden, you idiot!" Draco screeched, glaring darkly. "And I really doubt Potter likes me. He just loves to rescue anyone who is, will be, or could be in danger."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, Granger." Blaise waved to Hermione as she strolled up to them. Blaise had adapted quite well to hanging around with Granger and even Weasley.

"Hello Blaise. Draco." Hermione smiled.

"Where's Weasley?" Draco asked. It wasn't often that Granger was seen without her red-head escort.

"He doesn't have Runes with us. I'm sure you've noticed that before." Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh…yeah." Draco frowned as Blaise chuckled.

"Don't mind him Hermione. Darling Draco is feeling rather flustered today." Blaise smirked, throwing an arm around Draco's shoulder.

"Oh? Why is that?" Hermione asked as she fiddled with her bag.

"He's in lo—ouch!" Blaise grabbed his arm where Draco had hit it with a stinging hex.

"We're going to class Granger. Blaise, don't you have Arithmacy now?" Draco snapped as he started walking away. Hermione sent Blaise a smirk and proceeded to follow the overly grumpy blonde to class.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Dristan Desmond, a seventh year Ravenclaw, was not someone that most people paid any attention to. He was the eighth son of a wealthy wizarding family. With seven brothers and five sisters ahead of him he was never given the amount of attention that he would have liked. Or the amount that would have been healthy.

In fact, the one who got the most attention in his family was his oldest brother, Rivalen, who had died in the war against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He had been killed by a Death Eater one day in Diagon Alley. His mother was still a wreak over it. She only ever cried now. But how would she look at him if he avenged his brother's death? If he got rid of the Death Eater who had nearly killed the Boy-Who-Lived?

Surely the school wouldn't punish him. He would be doing everyone a favor! Heck, he might even get a special award to the school. And it wasn't like anyone could prove that it wasn't the Malfoy boy who had killed Rivalen.

This was why he was waiting; wand at the ready, for Draco Malfoy to walk passed this spot on his way to Runes. He had searched in the library for ages to find a curse that would take care of the problem. He had finally found one in the restricted section. It wasn't an unforgivable but it would certainly get the job done.

"I'm telling you Granger, your idiot boyfriend isn't ever going to be happy that you and Potter are trying to be my friends. He kind of hates me. And I can't say that I have any warm feelings for him either." That was Malfoy's voice.

"Well you could at least try to be nice to him. Every time you come into contact with each other it's all insults all the time." Dristan didn't know who that was. It sounded like Hermione Granger. He had no clue what she would be doing talking to Malfoy but he also didn't figure that it mattered much.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Draco was fed up with Granger trying to get him to with Weasley. It was never going to happen. He was sure of it. "We're never going to see eye to eye, Granger. Weasley and me just have too much bad history." He shrugged.

"Well I don't see why you can't at least try to get—" Hermione was cut off by the appearance of a Ravenclaw boy pointing his wand at them. "What are you doing?"

Dristan didn't hesitate. He knew what he had to do. He had to get rid of Draco Malfoy. If only to get out of the shadow of a dead brother. He twirled his wand in a small circle with a slightly demented smile. "Memento Mori!"

Draco's eyes widened as the spell flew towards him. Then, for the second time that week, he was pushed aside. "No!" He yelled as the curse hit Hermione's arm.

Hermione gave a great gasp and screamed, trying to grab at her arm. The cry was animalistic and seemed to never end. She seemed to choke on the scream as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she crumpled to the ground. Her limbs twisted into odd angles as she began to convulse.

"No! What did you do?" Draco snarled at the boy. He wasn't given an answer however. Instead he was met with yet another curse being shot at him. He cast a shielding charm just in time. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You have to die! Everything will be better if you just die!" The boy screamed, firing the same curse again and again.

"Stupify!" Draco shouted, dodging another curse. He left Hermione where she was. The boy wasn't after her.

Another curse flew from Dristan, chipping a large piece off the wall that Draco was hiding behind. Draco knew they were making a considerable amount of noise. Surely someone was coming. He stuck his wand around the corner. "Stupify! Expelliarmus!" he shouted.

The later spell hit the boy and his wand spun out of his hand. Draco rushed out from around the corner. "Stupify!" The spell hit the boy in the chest and he toppled backwards.

"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagall ran up to where Hermione was still twitching on the ground.

"Professor it's not what it looks like! That boy attacked us for no reason! He was acting like a mad person!" Draco's eyes were wide. Would he be blamed for this? Would he be expelled after all?

"Dristan Desmond? What did he hit Miss Granger with?" McGonagall was casting spell after spell over Hermione, who had gone horribly still.

"Memento something. Is she alive?" Draco asked, surprised at the amount of worry in his own voice.

"She's alive but I am not able to revive her. For the love of Merlin. I truly thought that we were done with the attacks in this school." This last part was said so quietly that Draco barely heard it.

McGonagall bound Dristan and took Hermione to the hospital wing. From there she took both Draco and Dristan to the Headmaster's office. Dristan was revived and Galloway decided that the best way to go about asking questions was to administer Veritaserum. Dristan admitted to wanting to get rid of Draco. "Because he's a Death Eater. Everyone wants him gone." He said in the monotone that Veritaserum created in its drinkers. He told them about how he had researched a spell that wouldn't kill right away, but would put Draco into a coma where he would relive the worst moments in his life over and over until his body gave up and he died.

Galloway expelled him and called the Ministry. Dristan was old enough to be tried as an adult. They came and took him away. As he was led away he looked less like a seventeen year old and much more like a frightened child who didn't know why they were being punished. Draco almost felt sorry for him.

"Mr. Malfoy, you should go back to your dorm or class. I'll tell Mr. Weasley what happened." McGonagall said, clearly dismissing him.

Draco just nodded. He couldn't go to class right now. How could he when Weasley, and most likely Potter, were going to blame him for this? Potter was the only thing keeping all of Gryffindor from beating or cursing him into a bloody pulp.

But it wasn't his fault. He knew that at least. He wouldn't have done that to Granger. Not after her and Potter had given him a second chance he felt his eyes sting and had to fight the tears back. Granger had gotten cursed because of him. Because some idiot Ravenclaw, whose family had a history of severe mental illness, wanted to get rid of the Death Eater.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Ron could still hear Professor McGonagall's voice echoing again and again in his head. "Miss Granger was hit by a curse while protecting Mr. Malfoy. She's been transferred to St. Mungo's. I'm sorry Mr. Weasley."

His fist tightened on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. he had told Harry about what had happened; he had stayed at the hospital wing until Madame Pomfrey had insisted he go to bed. Neville was already asleep when he got there. The only one awake was Prince.

That was why Ron and the cat were currently starring at each other. Both of them lost in their own thoughts. Ron knew it was Malfoy's fault. The little bastard was probably planning something like this all along. First Harry had been hurt and now Hermione was hurt even worse. Ron grit his teeth at the thought.

Why had they decided to befriend Malfoy? Surely they hadn't forgotten about all the things he had said. All the things he'd done. He was nothing but an evil little prick all through school and they thought that he had just changed? What would happen if one of them were killed for stupid bloody Malfoy? And if that cat didn't stop staring at him he was going to skin it!

Severus was busy thinking about how he didn't regret killing Albus at all. In fact, if the man were alive, he's kill him again. _Two_, not one, but_ two_ of the idiot children that he had to convince had been incapacitated! Not to mention the fact that Granger had to be taken to St. Mungo's! It was infuriating to say the least.

Severus was about to finally stop staring at Weasley and go to sleep in one of the arm chairs when a vase shattered next to his head. His eyes shot to Weasley who was glaring at him with complete loathing. Ron wished he had hit the damn cat with the vase.

"Stop looking at me like that you damn cat! All you ever do is look at us all like we're insects!" Ron grabbed another item off the table (A picture frame) and hurled it at Prince. Severus backed up against the wall, hissing at Weasley. "Shut up!" A book was thrown this time. "Harry and Hermione are hurt. None of the Healers know when or if Hermione will wake up from the coma she's in! So shut up! SHUT UP!"

Severus ran out of the corner he was backed into over to the fireplace, cat instincts telling him to get away from the potential danger. He climbed the side of the fire place, standing on the mantle. He glared down at the foolish boy, feeling slightly better now that he was higher than Weasley. _"Get ahold of yourself you foolish brat!"_

Ron glared up at him. "I hate you! I hate that out of all the cats Harry had to choose you! All you ever do is look down at us! You look at us like we're idiots and it even seems like you're insulting us sometimes! If I didn't know better I would say you were channeling Snape!" at that moment Ron and Severus' eyes met. Ron stared as though he had been mesmerized. Severus stared desperately, trying to make Weasley see the truth. It seemed like they stood there for hours until Ron whispered, "Snape?"

Severus, shocked, said the first thing that popped into his head. _"That's Professor Snape to you!"_

"Aaaaah!" Ron leapt away from the cat on the mantle. "Snape's voice was in my head! I heard him in my head!" he shrieked.

"_Calm down you idiot!"_ Severus hissed.

"It happened again!"

At that moment Neville opened his bedroom door. "Ron? What have you been yelling about?"

Ron looked from Neville to Severus, his eyes wide with shock. "N-nothing! Yeah! I'm not yelling about anything. It's, um, a new studying method. If you shout it you remember things better!" Ron tried to smile convincingly. It was difficult when Severus' voice sounded in his head.

"_Quite convincing, Weasley. I'm sure he'll buy that. Then again, it is Longbottom."_

"Y-you should just go to bed Neville. I'm sorry for waking you." Ron's ears were red and he was staring at the floor.

Neville looked at him doubtfully. "Hermione's going to be fine, Ron. And Harry will be let out in a few days. It's going to be okay."

"Thanks Neville. I know." Ron gave a small smile as Neville went back to his room.

"_Touching."_ Severus drawled sarcastically.

Ron turned to look at the cat. "Am I going mad?" he asked.

"_That's debatable. But I you are it's not because of me."_ Severus lay down on top of the fire place. He rather liked it up there.

"W-what happened? You died! R-right? We saw you die!" Ron insisted.

"_Yes, that's true. I was killed by the Dark Lord. It is because of Dumbledore that I was reincarnated as a cat."_ Severus' lip curled in distaste.

"Then why can I hear your voice?" Ron looked at him confused.

Severus gave a sigh and explained. Eventually Weasley's shock vanished and was replaced by amusement. _"—and, listen to me Weasley, you __**cannot**__ tell Potter, Granger or Draco about me actually being Severus Snape."_

"Why not?"

"_Because I told you not to."_ Severus glared.

"Heh, you're not really in any position to order me around." Ron smirked.

Ron's smirk faded as Severus smirked. _"If you ever want to see Granger conscious again you'll keep this information to yourself."_

"W-what? You know how to heal her?" Ron leaned forward eagerly.

"_You told Longbottom that Minerva told you the name of the spell. Memento Mori. I'm sure you've never heard of the spell. It is very dark magic but it's not used often because of how long it takes to actually kill the recipient. Miss Granger is locked in a coma in which she is reliving every moment of her life where she was in the most pain. Where she most believed she would die. I am actually very surprised that the boy was able to find it. There's only one way to cure Miss Granger."_

"How? How do I heal her?" Ron asked quickly.

"_I have the plant in my rooms here. If they've left my rooms as they were when I was teaching here then it should still be there."_

"What are the chances of your rooms having been left alone?"

"_With all the repairs that have been done on the school I sincerely doubt that they've had time to clean out my rooms. The chances are good that all of my possessions are just as I left them." _Severus said thoughtfully.

"Well let's go get it!" Ron leapt to his feet.

"_Sit down fool. We are not going in the middle of the night. Miss Granger will make it until morning. And we are especially not going if you don't agree to keep your gargantuan mouth shut about my secret."_ Severus sneered.

Ron glared darkly at the cat. Out of all the people who could know of some strange plant to cure a curse, Snape was probably the most knowledgeable. Ron knew this but that didn't make him like it very much. "Fine. I won't tell anyone. It's not like many people would believe me anyways. Well, Luna might." Ron pouted.

"_Miss Lovegood already knows."_ Severus informed.

"Luna knows? How?" Ron asked, looking shocked.

"_She discovered me in a cage the first night back. She recognized me immediately." _

"Figures." Ron grumbled. "This is crazy. I thought there was no way for someone to come back from the dead."

"_That's usually true. I suppose the exception is when one has an insane conniving old man who loves to toy with people's lives."_ At Ron's blank look Severus sighed. _"Dumbledore, I mean."_

"Oh." Ron frowned.

"_Go to bed Mr. Weasley. In the morning we can get the plant from my chambers."_ Severus ordered, leaping into an armchair.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Ronald Weasley, despite what some people thought, did actually know a lot of things. He knew that there were still Death Eaters loose and hurting people. He knew that he had seen Charlie at Malfoy during dinner the other night. He knew that he still had a detention to serve with Professor Flitwick for jinxing a boy who had whispered something about Hermione in class. But most of all, what Ron knew as he was lying in bed, was that Harry's cat Prince was actually Severus Snape reincarnated.

XoxoxoxoxoX

A/n: Thank you so much everyone for reading! Also I want to give a big THANK YOU for being patient with me. I hope to have the next chapter up soon but please be patient. As much as I wish I could spend hours and hours a day writing fics I do have class and homework. You all understand, yes? Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Fixing Problems

Author's Note: Thank you everyone who reviewed and alerted and everything else! I tried to write this chapter much faster than the last one and it seems that I succeeded! Yay! It is a bit shorter than the last one but hopefully you'll be so kind as to forgive that. Now on with the chapter then.

Disclaimer: I am most certainly not J.K. Rowling. If I were, dearest Harry would NOT have gotten with the Weaslette.

_Tokugawa Blitzer:_ Thank you for your review. Yes, first Harry then Hermione, the Golden Trio isn't having much luck this year. But luckily Ron figured out Sev's secret. Unfortunately, I can't promise that Sev will be out of his cat body soon. There's still a lot coming for him.

_new moongirl:_ Thank you for your kind review.

_CarelesslyCamouflaged:_ Yes, life is quite hard for darling Draco right now. I'm happy to hear that everyone seems to like kitty!Severus. He's quite fun to write.

_kokoro621_: Hehehe, yes Ron is quite fun to write and I always knew how his first reaction to Severus was going to be. I am planning some funny (hopefully) stuff with Severus reacting to Charlie's interest in Draco. Thanks for you well wishes for me in college.

_Very Small Prophet:_ Yeah, I figured I wouldn't worry too much about the names. Pure bloods do seem to have a knack for naming their kids odd things.

_bkerrmom1:_ Thank you for your review.

_Shadow:_ I'm glad everyone seems to like Ron's reaction. I thought it was delightfully Ron-like. Thanks for the review.

_CHSgrl09:_ I'm glad I could surprise you. I was hoping that most people wouldn't be expecting it.

_Brigit:_ Thanks for your review. I'm glad you liked it so much.

_Emily Redbird:_ Hehehe, yep. I've been majorly overworked lately but everyone has been really nice about it so far.

_Risi:_ Hehe, I've always liked the idea that the least likely person to find out would find out first. From the beginning I knew Ron would be the first to figure it out.

_IchigoPudding:_ Thanks you soooo much for all of your reviews. I'm happy that you like my little fic so much.

_mycatsaninja47:_ Wow. Thank you for your very enthusiastic review. And of course I'm a AVPM/AVPS fan. What good Harry Potter fan isn't?

_T-TrainOrTurkeyT:_ I'm glad you liked my little surprise with Ron. Thank you for your review.

_ThisIsTheOnlyNameICouldPick:_ I'm happy that you liked this chapter. And yes, Ron has a lot of insults coming his way. I'm sure he'll soon wish Severus was still dead.

_Yashida:_ Thanks so much for your review!

_Seto K4iba1:_ Hehehe. You may be right about Hermione. She does have a very logical mind and a person being sent back as a cat isn't exactly logical is it?

_Stellaa limegood:_ Thanks for your review!

_Dragon Soarer:_ Yeah, I've never really cared for Ginny. That may shine through in this story from time to time in the way she acts and the way I describe her. I can promise you that Charlie will not become creepily obsessed with Draco. I feel like Draco needs a healthy relationship and Charlie provides that. Yes, Severus being able to talk may take away a potentially funny situation but it also sounds much harder. Not to say that I want to be lazy with this story but if something gets too hard then my writing won't be at its best and that's the last thing I would want. Thank you very much for your long review!

_Kayya:_ Thank you for your review. Yes, I thought that Ron finding out whilst in a rage was best. I'm amazingly happy that everyone was so surprised by Ron being the first to figure it out.

_Hoho:_ Thanks a ton for your review!

_:_ Thanks a lot for your review!

_Maximus:_ I'm glad you found it funny. Here's the update that you seem to crave.

_YeahMan:_ Thanks for thinking highly of my little story! Here's the update!

XoxoxoxoxoX

The room was dark. Harry looked around, wondering where he was. Whispering voices filled the room as he stumbled about. He wanted to find whoever it was talking and yet he wanted to avoid them at all cost. Their hissing voices filled the room to the point that he could barely stand it. They had to stop or he would go insane.

"It's real for us…"

Harry turned quickly, fearing what he would find. Behind him was a small boy, no more than ten, with over-long dark hair and a too big coat. The boy's hair hung in his face as he looked up at Harry. Harry knew he had seen this boy before and wondered where. His head was filled with the hissing voices and it was hard to think.

"Look…at…me…" The boy gasped out. His voice was louder than any of the others and as Harry looked at him he began to grow.

The boy was soon a teenager; lanky, awkward, and dark. "Look…at…me…" He reached out for Harry, causing the man to stumble back in fear. Snape, Harry placed him, started to grow once again. Then he was a man, just as Harry had always known him. Snape grabbed at his throat as blood began to spill from large puncture wounds that rapidly appeared.

Harry wanted to scream as blood began spilling to the floor, Snape collapsing. Blood flowed from his body, flooding the room until Harry was up to his neck in the stuff. "Help! Someone help!" he yelled, trying to swim as the blood began to churn like waves in the ocean.

A hand shot out of the water and gripped Harry's arm in a bruising grip. Harry twisted to see a corpse starring him in the face. Its body was nothing but bone covered in a lily pale skin. Its face was pulled into a grotesque grin and its eyes were the color of pus. More inferi began to appear from the depths of blood. They grabbed at Harry, pulling his hair and snatching at his clothes. He tried to scream only to have blood flood into his mouth. The inferi dragged him down into the depths, shrieking with laughter as he drowned.

Harry shot up in his bed with a gasp. Sirius, who had been trying to wake him, pulled his hand back. "You okay, Harry?" he asked with a concerned frown.

Harry's eyes darted around the room in slight panic until he realized that he was still in the Hospital Wing, perfectly safe. "I-I'm fine, Sirius. Just a bad dream." He attempted to smile.

Sirius gave an understanding smile as he took a seat next to Harry's bed. "I came to get you. Pomfrey said that you were allowed to leave today and, since it's a Hogsmead day, me and Remus are taking you to a celebratory dinner in the village! Ron should be coming too. Remus went to find him."

"Sounds good. It'll be great to get out of this bloody bed." Harry grinned, the dream fading into the back of his mind.

Harry went into the Hospital Wing bathroom, looking into the mirror as he began to take the bandages off. Madame Pomfrey had been amazing when it came to preventing scars. There were none on Harry's face except for a small one on the side of his jaw. His arms were still noticeably scarred, being the part that took the brunt of the potion, but there was no longer any pain. Madame Pomfrey said that his arms would probably always be scarred. Burn scars tended to be more difficult to heal than those made by a cut.

Harry finished taking the bandages off and pulled on some clean clothes. "Alright, I'm ready Sirius." He gave a small smile to his godfather as he came out of the bathroom. Sirius had been trying to sneak a chocolate frog from Harry's pile. Sirius jumped at Harry's reappearance and the frog took the opportunity to leap from his hand.

"You look good. I was afraid you'd be more heavily scarred." Sirius grinned as he checked Harry's face. "Well let's go. Remus should have found Ron by now."

XoxoxoxoxoX

Draco was currently hiding out in the library. It was mostly empty at the moment seeing as most of Hogwarts' inhabitants were enjoying their day at Hogsmead. It was one of the last nice days of the year before cold weather came. Draco had considered going to the village but in the end he had decided to take advantage of the lack of hostile glares and get some homework done.

He was halfway through a painfully difficult essay for Transfiguration when someone plopped down gracelessly across from him. He nearly jumped out of his skin before he saw who it was. Charlie Weasley smiled cheerily back at him. "Hello."

Draco scowled at him. "Do you always just plop loudly wherever you want?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Anyways, why are you all cooped up in the library when you could be enjoying a perfectly lovely day?" he asked as he carelessly leaned his chair back on two legs.

"I figured I'd get some homework done." Draco said shortly.

"Instead of getting out and going to Hogsmead?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. And you are distracting me. So please leave now." Draco looked back to his essay, trying to hide the way his cheeks were coloring at Charlie's stare.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see I came here to get you to come with me to the village." Charlie grinned.

"W-what? Why?" Draco blushed and quickly looked back to his essay.

"Because I wanna go out with you." Charlie shrugged.

"What, are you trying to ask me on a bloody date or something?"

"Well I didn't think you would like it if I called it that." Charlie grinned again.

Draco blushed darkly. "Why would you want to take me out on a date?"

"Because I like you." Charlie smiled charmingly.

"What if I'm not gay?" Draco challenged without really knowing why.

Charlie looked slightly surprised. But the surprise soon faded into a smirk. "I don't believe you. I've seen the way you look at me and you're diffidently interested."

"Well you're quite cocky." Draco stood and brushed imaginary dust from his robes. "I suppose I can allow you to take me on a date." He said this in the most dignified way possible.

"Why thank you, your highness." Charlie smirked sarcastically.

XoxoxoxoxoX

"Do you even know where you're going?"

"_I lived in these rooms for nearly seventeen years, Weasley. Of course I know where I'm going."_

Severus and Ron were currently walking through the dungeons, Severus walking ahead of Ron with his tail up. Severus would _not_ admit he was lost. True, he could picture the path to his rooms easily. However, there seemed to have been a few changes over the summer. It made sense considering all the repairs that the castle had needed. Now, instead of a long corridor leading to a staircase that would lead down to his rooms, there was a wall. It didn't help that it was dark in the dungeons even in the daytime and while the ability to see in the dark was useful it was also still a bit disorienting.

"We've passed this picture twice." Ron pointed out.

Severus turned with a hiss, about to tell the idiot boy off, when they both heard a familiar voice say, "Ron?"

They both turned to see Remus standing at the end of the hallway. "Professor Lupin?"

"What are you doing down here?" Remus asked as he approached.

"I'm…uh…I was trying to find Prince." Ron pointed to the cat. "He's Harry's and I figured he'd want to see 'im when he got out of the Hospital Wing. What are you doing down here?"

"I was looking for you. Harry's out of the Hospital Wing and we're taking him to Hogsmead to celebrate. Sirius and I figured that you would want to come too." Remus smiled.

"Sounds good." Ron smiled back. Severus looked up at him.

"_Have you forgotten what we are doing, you stupid boy?"_ he hissed quietly.

Ron gave him a look and then looked at Remus. He didn't want to look crazy talking to a cat in front of the older man. Severus huffed and followed them, deciding that seeing Potter wouldn't be so bad. At the very least he was the only one that fed him properly.

Remus was looking at the cat that was following Ron closely. It was close to the full moon and his senses were heightened dramatically. The cat smelled…familiar. Remus was sure he had smelled this scent before but he couldn't quite place it. For some reason he associated it with the color black. He dismissed it from his mind as Sirius and Harry came into view.

"Harry, you're looking much better mate!" Ron exclaimed, clapping Harry on the back.

"Yes. I'm glad there wasn't too much permanent damage." Remus smiled and ruffled Harry's hair lightly.

"Thanks you guys. What's Prince doing here?" Harry asked, kneeling down to pet the cat.

Ron wanted to laugh at the glare Harry received from Severus as he stroked down the cat's body. 'I bet that git's never been touched so much in his life.' He thought with a smirk. "He followed me down. I guess he missed his _master_ while you were away."

Severus' glare snapped to Ron. _"Keep your mouth shut, you imbecile."_ He hissed. Ron smirked at the cat in return.

"Have you two been getting on a bit better then?" Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron.

"Yeah. We've kinda bonded." Ron grinned, ruffling Severus' fur.

Severus hissed viciously and clawed at Ron. _"Keep your hands to yourself, you impudent brat."_

"If you say so." Harry said, sounding doubtful as Severus glared at the red-head.

"Well let's get going boys. It took you long enough to find him Remy." Sirius grinned at Remus.

"Yes well I wasn't expecting to have to search for him in the dungeons. If it wasn't so close to the full moon I wouldn't have caught his scent and I probably wouldn't have found him at all." Remus gave a mock glare to Sirius.

"Why were you in the dungeon, Ron?" Harry asked, having picked Prince up and carrying him along.

"I was looking for Prince. He's been missing for a while and I figured you'd want to see him."

"Actually, he's been coming to the Hospital Wing almost every night." Harry smiled down at the cat.

"Oh. Well I didn't know." Ron shrugged as they began going towards Hogsmead.

Severus eventually managed to climb from Potter's arms in favor of perching on his shoulder, digging his claws into his robes to prevent him falling. He was satisfied by this position, feeling it was much more dignified. Potter flinched slightly as Prince's tail tickled him as it wrapped around his neck.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Harry kind of envied Sirius and Remus. As they walked to Hogsmead the two men held hands happily. Sirius would every now and then give a playful tug to Remus' arm, pulling him closer. Remus would shoot Sirius a mock glare which never failed to fade into a smile.

Ever since the end of the war life had improved more for Remus and Sirius than it had for most people. The anti-werewolf laws were reevaluated and removed, Sirius' name was cleared, and they had both survived the war. Life was going well for them at last after a really long period of hardship after hardship.

Harry envied their relationship a lot. A little over a year ago he had thought that him and Ginny would be in a similarly happy relationship. 'I just had to have a sexual awakening.' He thought, slightly glumly. He supposed he might have figured his orientation out sooner, thus saving everyone a lot of heart ache, if he hadn't had a mad man trying to kill him at least once almost every school year. He had only really had time to think about what he wanted after the war had ended.

He could admit now that he really hadn't fully believed that he would survive the final battle against Voldemort. That was probably why he had never consciously questioned his preference. But it was as if after the war his body had taken the opportunity to make it perfectly clear what it was that he actually wanted. When his nights weren't being tormented by nightmares he was usually having highly erotic dreams featuring a different dream man each time. In truth these dreams were probably a bit late in coming but that was just another thing he could blame on Voldemort.

So now all he really needed was a boyfriend. Surely, even though he hated himself slightly for thinking it, it couldn't be that hard for the Defeater-o-Voldy to get a date. But it was exactly that which seemed to be the main problem. Most people were more intimidated by him now that he had killed Voldemort with a disarming spell. He had shyly tried to flirt with a guy in Diagon Alley during summer break and the boy had completely clammed up before running off. Hermione had assured him that it probably had nothing to do with him being a guy. It had to do with him being Harry Potter. Harry knew that who he was could affect the relationship but surely it wouldn't completely prevent one from happening, would it?

Harry sighed slightly as they walked into the village. "Where are we going to eat? The Three Broomsticks?" he asked.

"Nah. We figured we'd go somewhere a little more special. We're going to The Silver Turtle. It's a new place that was just recently built over the summer. Me an' Remus have been there and it's pretty nice." Sirius grinned.

They reached the restaurant shortly. Harry could see that it was obviously new and fancier than the Three Broomsticks. The inside was decorated in earth tones with a large fountain in the middle of the restaurant. The fountain was of a large silver turtle with the Earth (A very realistic revolving Earth. Made of magic and glowing softly a pleasant blue.) balanced on the turtles back. When they entered the hostess nearly squealed at seeing Harry. She immediately got them to a table while barely hiding the fact that she was about to swoon.

A smiling, and thankfully calmer, waitress took their drink orders and gave them menus before going off. "So has there been any news about Hermione?" Remus asked with a concerned frown.

"Not yet. The Healers still don't know exactly how the spell is hurting her yet." Ron's jaw was set. Thinking about Hermione going through horror after horror again and again made him sick. It also made him want to grab Snape, rush out of the restaurant, and get the damn plant he was supposed to be looking for. But doing so would bring up too many questions that Ron literally couldn't answer. Not to mention Harry would probably try to follow him.

"She'll be fine. We can do some research later if you want." Harry offered, giving Ron a sympathetic look. Hermione was one of his best friends in the world but she was Ron's girlfriend. Ron, though he may not have said it yet, loved her. He couldn't imagine what his best mate was feeling.

"That sounds good, mate. Let's not think about it for a bit. Just enjoy our time here." Ron gave his companions a small smile.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Charlie and Draco were chatting and eating at a two person table in The Silver Turtle. Draco was truly surprised at how interesting he found Charlie. The only guy he had ever dated was a fellow Slytherin who had been a year ahead of him named Victor Fagan. Draco had dated him in his fifth year for a grand total of two months. In those two months they had snogged a lot, frotted a bit, and had seen each other half naked once. Draco honestly couldn't tell you anything about Victor's interests, home life, favorite school subject, or anything that was even the slightest bit personal.

Charlie was different. Charlie was fascinating and funny and charming. He talked to Draco like an equal. Something that Draco had only really experienced a few times in his life. Crabbe and Goyle had never been able to carry an intelligent conversation. Pansy had only ever been an irritant while Blaise was a bit too immature to have a serious conversation with. The only people who had treated him like a true person were Severus and Potter.

Charlie was chatting animatedly about being trapped in a pen with a young Chinese Fireball when Ron noticed the couple sitting there. "What the bloody hell is Charlie doing?" he blurted loudly.

Severus, who had been snatching food off Potter's plate every now and then; Potter having talked the waitress into letting the cat stay, turned to see his godson sitting with the second eldest Weasley child. He became aware of everyone else at the table looking at the unlikely duo as well. As they watched Draco let out a small laugh, smiling at Charlie.

"It looks like they're on a date." Harry commented, feeling a sense of dread at the look on Ron's face.

"Why is Charlie on a date with that git?" Ron asked, not expecting an answer, and making a move as if to stand.

"Don't bother them, Ron. Let's just finish dinner." Harry tried to coax the red-head back into his seat.

Ron looked at Harry and then back at the table where Charlie and Draco sat. _"Don't cause any trouble."_ Severus meowed. Ron sneered at him and stomped over to the couple's table furiously.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" Ron asked with a tone of righteous anger.

Charlie looked up at his younger brother, the smiles that had been on Draco and his faces slid off. "Good to see you too, Ron. I'm on a date with Draco so please clear out."

"Why are you on a date with Malfoy?" Ron snapped.

"Because he said yes when I asked him out. Go away Ronald. You're sounding like a prat." Charlie glared at his brother.

Draco was frowning and starring at the table. He should have known he wouldn't be able to have a nice normal date with a guy. Trust Ron Weasley to ruin one of the best days that he had enjoyed in quite a while.

"You can't date a Malfoy, Charlie! Dad would flip!" Ron glared angrily at his older brother, his ears going red.

"I don't care what dad would do!" Charlie bit out loudly, making to stand up.

"Charlie, its fine. Clearly Weasley has more of a problem with me then he's let on recently. I should probably just…go." Draco held his ace impassive.

"No! Draco you don't have to leave just because my brother is an arse." Charlie glared furiously at his little brother.

"I'm not being an arse! You're the one who's on a date with Malfoy of all people!"

"Ron, come one. Let's leave Charlie and Draco alone." Harry begged, having left Prince in the booth in order to calm his friend.

"No way! Why are you out with Malfoy? You still haven't given a good damn answer!" Ron's ears were scarlet and his hands were clenched into fists.

"None of your damn business, Ronald!" Charlie bit out, taking a step towards his little brother.

"Ron, you're making a scene." Remus put a hand on Ron's shoulder to try and pull him away. Everyone in the restaurant was watching them with rapt attention.

"Sirs? Is there a problem?" A young waitress asked nervously.

"We're fine. We were just leaving." Sirius smiled comfortingly at the young woman. "Come along Ron."

Ron grit his teeth and, with one last scathing glare at Charlie and Draco, stormed out of the restaurant without waiting for Harry, Sirius or Remus.

Harry sighed and turned back towards Charlie and Draco. Meanwhile Severus, taking advantage of the lack of attention, took off after the youngest Weasley son. "I'm sorry Charlie and Draco. He's under a lot of stress." Harry apologized slightly lamely.

"That's no excuse." Charlie snarled under his breath.

"Thanks for the date, Weasley. I'm going to go." Draco said, walking quickly out of the restaurant before Charlie could stop him.

Charlie cursed and plopped down at the table he and Draco had previously been enjoying a meal at. "If that idiot ruined my chances…" he grumbled, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Don't worry, Charlie. I'm sure it's not you that Draco is angry with and Ron will calm down." Remus assured him.

"Yeah. Let's hope you're right. I've never been very big with relationships but I like Draco." Charlie sighed. "I have to go after him." He stood, dropped a few galleons on the table, and rushed out after Draco.

Harry gave another sigh. "Well…thanks for bringing me out." He gave a slightly ironic grin to the older couple.

Sirius chuckled. "Even when you defeat the most evil man anyone has ever seen, you still don't get a break, huh kiddo?" he slung an arm around Harry's shoulders as Remus paid their tab.

Harry gave a small laugh. "Hopefully everything will settle down soon."

XoxoxoxoxoX

Severus was soon able to catch up with the Weasley brat. Ron was walking quickly, muttering angrily, up to the castle. Severus walked beside him, keeping stride easily. _"Quite a scene you caused back there."_

"Shut up!" Ron snarled at the cat.

"_I won't be talked to like that, you foolish brat. Especially not by a simpleton who flings his emotions at others like a child." _Severus hissed.

"What do you want Snape?" Ron bit out as they reached the castle.

"_I assumed, now that you are free of your obligation to accompany your friends, we were able to go to my rooms." _Severus meowed.

"Oh…yeah. You're right." Ron grumbled. Severus took the lead as they once again headed to the dungeons.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Draco, after he had fled the restaurant, had gone to a quiet place by the lake that he had frequented often throughout his school career when he needed a place to think. It was secluded, surrounded by weeping willows, and there were thousands of flat stones that were perfect for skipping. Today he wasn't here simply to enjoy the solitude, however. He was quite too busy throwing rocks into the lake like a child while imagining that every one was a small Ron Weasley.

He had been having a perfectly fine day. He was on a date with an attractive guy who was attracted to him, he was at nice restaurant and his date was actually interesting and funny. Then Ron fucking Weasley had to show up and ruin the day for everyone. And then, of course, Draco just had to get it in his head to run from Charlie.

'He's probably given me up for a bad job.' Draco thought with a surge of regret. He should have stayed with Charlie. The older Weasley hadn't done anything wrong and Draco had still run out on him. He chucked another rock furiously.

"What did the lake do to you?" A voice from behind Draco asked.

Draco turned to see Charlie leaning against one of the willows wearing a small smirk. Draco turned to him fully, staring at the ground. "I shouldn't have left." He mumbled.

"I get why you did." Charlie smiled. "My brother was being a jackass to you for no reason."

"You don't think he might have a point?" Draco asked softly.

"What do you mean?" The smile faded from Charlie's face.

"People are going to give you hell if you date a Death Eater. Why in Merlin's name would you want to deal with their stupidity for me?" Draco finally looked up at Charlie.

Charlie gave a small sigh. "I've thought of that already. I know what you were and I know what you are now. Would you have even thought about going on a date with me just two years ago?"

Draco looked back at the ground. "Almost definitely not." He murmured softly.

"Exactly. You've changed. Everyone has changed. You're beautiful and witty and charming. Let me try to make you happy. Because you're not happy right now, Draco. I can see that." Charlie stepped closer to Draco and took his small hands into his own larger ones. "I don't care what anyone thinks. I don't care about Ron or my dad or my mum or anyone else. Let me be with you."

Draco could feel his eyes stinging at Charlie's words and had to grit his teeth in an effort not to cry. He had never had anyone who was willing to do so much to be near him. He had never had someone who cared this much besides his own mother. "I-if you going to be so insistent I guess I have no choice."

Charlie grinned and pulled Draco into his arms. Draco felt a blush heat up his cheeks as Charlie hooked a finger under his chin and angled his face upwards. There was a kiss that followed. It was good and sweet and chaste and simple. It lit something in Draco that made him feel wonderfully warm. It tasted like a promise.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Severus gave a relieved sigh as they finally reached his rooms. The portrait that hid the doorway was of an old man in a potions lab, brewing away at what looked like a complicated potion. The man in the portrait looked up at Ron with slight curiosity. "Well? What do you want, boy?" the man, who Albus had first introduced to Severus as Bartimus Bateman, barked out.

Ron looked down to Severus. "What's your password?"

"_Ex umbra in solem."_ Severus answered with a meow.

Bartimus narrowed his eyes at the odd boy. "Who are you speaking to? Mad, are you? Talking to cats! I ask you! First I lose the only person to ever come down this far and now some boy comes down to blabber on to a cat!"

Severus sighed. Bartimus had been a good portrait guard except for when he went on his little rants. His favorite hobby had been to see how long he could continue ranting to Severus before he would let him into his rooms. _"Tell him the password before he builds up steam."_ He hissed to the Weasley boy.

Ron repeated the password and Bartimus stopped his rant in favor of glaring at Ron suspiciously. "Why have you come? Think you can come and root through Severus' things just because he's dead? I'll be informing the Headmistress! I was charged with protecting these rooms!" Bartimus exclaimed proudly.

"Hey! I'm not stealing anything!" Ron protested angrily.

"Oh? Just wanted to take a walk in a dead professor's room with your cat, did you?"

"Yes!" Ron shouted, exasperatedly. "How do I get him to open up?" he looked back to Severus.

"_Give him a moment. He's being entertained so he'll keep it up as long as he can."_ Severus contained the urge to roll his eyes.

After another few minutes, in which Bartimus and Ron continued to argue, Bartimus allowed the portrait to swing forward with a snort of disgust. As Severus shot in to his rooms they could hear him grumbling about youth these days.

Ron, who had been expecting a room that looked like some kind of medieval torture chamber, was surprised. The room was tasteful and done in shades of light gray. Bookshelves lined the rear wall and were kept neatly. There was a light gray sofa in front of a large fireplace. End tables sat on each end of the sofa with a lamp on each. The tables were both stacked with books, some of which were propped open as if Severus planned to return and finish them. The living room was connected to the small kitchen which held little more than a two person table. There were two doors in the living room which Ron guessed lead to a bathroom and a bedroom.

"_Why, might I ask, are you gaping like a fool?"_ Severus asked.

"I guess I just expected your rooms to look different." Ron mumbled, forcing down the urge to look around more closely.

"_Indeed. I'm sure you expected some sort of horrible dungeon, whips and shackles lining the walls along with the skeleton of some first year that displeased me."_ Severus drawled sarcastically. _"Believe it or not, Mr. Weasley, but I do happen to enjoy the same comforts as most people."_

"So where is this plant?" Ron asked, looking around the room.

"_It will be in my lab. Through this door."_ Severus scratched at one of the doors.

Ron opened the door to find a room lined with jars containing numerous different potion ingredients much like Severus' old office. In the middle of the room was a long table holding a large cauldron, knives crafted from many different materials, dried plants, and cutting boards. Ron looked nervously at what looked like a human heart in a jar filled with crimson liquid.

Severus jumped up onto the long table in order to better locate the flower. He looked to Ron to tell him what to look for when he noticed that the boy was staring at a jar with repulsion. He smirked slightly and, in a voice he had perfected for terrifying students, asked _"What exactly do you think you are doing Mr. Weasley?"_

Ron, having a sudden flashback of all the times he had snuck out after hours and fearing being caught by Snape, jumped nearly a foot in the air. He turned quickly to glare at the professor-turned-cat. "Don't do that!" he hissed through his teeth. "You may be used to creepy places like this but I'm not!"

"_Oh? I assumed that you might be used to it seeing as you found your way to numerous interesting places while you, Potter, and Granger were out breaking rules." _Severus continued searching the walls. _"Surely the Forbidden Forest is more threatening than my lab."_

Ron refused to admit that Snape may have a point and instead looked at the wall, annoyed. "What's this flower look like anyways?"

"_It is sapphire blue. The potion in the jar will be swirling in a counter clockwise direction."_ He answered.

"That shouldn't be too hard to find." Ron remarked. He soon found out how wrong he was. Snape had a ton of blue flowers, many of which made the potions move in one way or another. Finally, after being told off twice for pointing out flowers where the potion wasn't moving the right way, Ron said "Up there! Second from the top, fifth one over!" The jar he was pointing at contained a single sapphire flower. The potion that was swirling lazily around it was clear except for every few moments when it would flash a lovely silver color.

"_Good. Get it carefully. I am only in possession of one and I doubt you have the time to go to Brazil to get another one."_ Severus ordered.

Ron grabbed a step stool and retrieved the flower with ease. He set it carefully on the table. "You're sure this is what Hermione needs? She'll wake up?"

"_Of course I'm sure, you moronic boy. However this flower is just the main ingredient of a potion that will need to be administered to Miss Granger." _Severus informed.

He continued to order Ron around the room. Ron being forced to fetch everything the potion would need. "Who do you think is gonna brew this potion? I'm guessing it's complicated and I'm not the best in potions. And you definitely can't do it with your cat problem." Ron grunted as he lifted a heavy box from a shelf.

Severus didn't want to admit that the boy had a point. He contemplated who they could ask for help as he ordered Ron to get some ingredients out of a cupboard. Ron opened the door of the cupboard door and something caught his eye.

On the inside of the door was a sheet of paper taped in place. On the paper was a childish drawing done in crayon. The picture showed two people standing in what Ron guessed was a potions lab judging from the cauldron in the picture. The taller person in the picture had long black hair and black robes. The smaller person had yellow hair and green robes. They both had smiles drawn on their faces. Under the drawing it said, Me and Unkl Sevus. Under that, written in slender handwriting was, By Draco Malfoy; Age 7.

"_What exactly is taking so very long?"_ Came the drawling voice from behind Ron. Ron smirked.

"Just looking at the picture in here professor. It's pretty cute." Ron said innocently.

Severus immediately remembered the drawing that Draco had given him when he was a child. He had been babysitting for Lucius and Narcissa and had brought Draco into his lab with crayons so that he could color while Severus worked. Severus felt his face grow hot. He found it interesting that he could still blush as a cat. But that was when an idea struck him.

"_Draco can brew the potion."_ He blurted, not even thinking about Weasley's current feelings for his godson.

Ron stuck his head out of the cupboard. "I hope you're bloody joking."

"_Why? Did I sound amusing to you?"_ Severus quipped sarcastically.

"Why can't we find someone else to do it? We can ask Professor Chambers if she'll-" Ron was cut off by a loud hiss.

"_Are you really that stupid, boy? Do you not remember how Potter was covered in boiling potion? Who exactly do you think was responsible for that? That is not mentioning the fact that she found it an acceptable idea to waste numerous pints of unicorn blood on students who didn't know how complicated the potion was in the first place! Do you have the slightest idea how difficult it is to get willingly given unicorn blood? She would without a doubt ruin the potion that we need and waste the only flower that I have. Draco has a much higher chance of actually being able to brew the potion. I'm assuming that you actually want Miss Granger restored to health?"_ Severus was happy to see that the Weasley brat was looking guilty for suggesting Chambers in the first place. _"I taught Miss Chambers in school. She is rash and overly confident while brewing potions that are far too difficult for her."_

"Alright. I see your point." Ron grumbled. While he still wanted to cling to his belief that Malfoy was responsible for the potion accident with Harry, he knew it wasn't true. Chamber's was the problem. "I'll…ask Draco for his help."

"_Good. Now collect three unicorn hairs from the green jar in the cupboard and we'll be ready to leave."_ Severus jumped off the table smoothly.

Ron gathered all the ingredients, taking special care with the flower, and followed Severus out of the lab. He looked around Severus' room once more before they left. The room was a great improvement on what Ron had first imagined Snape's rooms would be like. But they still lacked a certain homey feel. Maybe it was because of the empty mantle. The mantle at The Burrow was over crowded with pictures and cards and post cards and numerous other things at every given moment. Snape's was completely bare. It was almost a sad sight. Ron pushed it to the back of his mind.

On the way out Bartimus yelled, "Don't think you can get away with whatever you did in there! And don't ever some back, you hooligan!"

Ron and Severus returned to the room to find Harry sitting up waiting for Ron. "Where have you been?" he asked quietly.

"I…was just clearing my head." Ron grumbled, he was already feeling guilty for exploding over Charlie and Draco.

Harry gave a sigh. "I know you're going through a lot right now. I can't even imagine how hard it is for you with Hermione being hurt like she is. But I think you should give Draco and Charlie's relationship a chance."

Ron plopped down on the arm chair next to Harry. "I…guess I overreacted. It's really not my business who Charlie wants to date. Even if he had lousy taste." He grumbled.

"Draco really isn't that bad. I think being with Charlie could be good for him." Harry lifted Prince up from where he was sitting on the floor and settled him onto his lap. Severus gave a glare but didn't try to leap down.

"Yeah, well I'm still not so sure but I guess I don't have the right to yell at Charlie because of it." Ron sighed. "I'm going to get some homework done before going to bed. 'Night Harry." He got up and headed toward his bedroom.

"Night Ron." Harry waved him off. "I should probably get working on that essay for Potions." He said to himself, leaning over to fish his essay out of his bag.

He got his essay, a quill and some ink and went over to one of the many desks. He carried Severus with one arm and his essay supplies with the other. He once again settled Severus down on his lap and spread his essay out. After a few minutes of him writing, in which Severus had nearly fallen asleep, he gave a small huff. "I wish I still had Snape's book." He mumbled as he scratched behind Prince's ears. He looked down at the cat with a small smile. "I never thought I'd say this but I just wish Snape was still here."

Severus looked up at the boy curiously. Did the boy really regret that he was dead? It was something that Severus never would have expected. _"I'm not nearly as far away as you might think, brat."_ He meowed quietly.

Harry smirked down at the cat. "He really wasn't too bad even though he hid it well. Maybe he just wasn't meant to be a teacher. But no one could say he didn't know Potions. He was way better than Chambers. But who knows how I'd feel if he survived. He never really liked me…to put it lightly. I still think he deserved to live." Harry mused as he pet Severus.

Severus was still listening intently. It seemed the memories he had left behind had served even more of a purpose than he had intended. He had left them so that Potter would know what had to be done. He had only added his memories of Lily so that Potter would trust him. So that Potter would know why he did what he did. But his memories, which he still didn't enjoy thinking about Potter seeing, had made Potter forgive him. Or so it seemed.

Severus wasn't sure how to feel about that. He hadn't ever really been forgiven for his faults in his entire life. Even Albus had sometimes thrown his idiotic past in his face. Everyone he had associated with knew he had been a Death Eater and that knowledge came with certain levels of mistrust. No one could deny that he had done horrible things. For most of the things he had done even _he_ had never forgiven himself. Why in Merlin's name would Potter forgive him? Even if he had seen his memories. All they proved was that Severus had been responsible for killing the one person he loved. There was only one conclusion that Severus could come to.

"_You are a fool, Mr. Potter."_

Harry looked down at the meow. "You're right, Prince. It's time for bed." He stood, cradling the cat in his arms before lightly setting him on the floor. "Are you gonna sleep in my bed or the arm chair?"

Severus went over to the arm chair and jumped up onto it. He heard Harry snort in amusement before he went into his bedroom. Severus watched him go. He didn't even try anymore to deny that Harry was nothing like his father. The idiot boy was too forgiving. Not that such a trait was really a bad thing, Severus supposed as he drifted off to sleep.

XoEnd ChapterXo

A/n: Well there's the sixth chapter! I didn't take nearly as long to update this time as I did last time! Shower me with praise! On another note, I've been thinking about getting a beta reader. Are any of you interested? I just need someone to correct any grammar or spelling mistakes that I miss. If you're interested please tell me in a review or a PM. Please review and tell me the stuff you liked (or didn't like so much)! Thank you so much for reading! Hopefully I'll be able to update soon.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Nykedimius Desiderus A.K.A Stupid Flirty Bastardly Wanker

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry and co I would be living in a castle on a private island somewhere; which I am not currently doing. This stands to reason that I don't own anything.

A/n: Hello again everyone! Exciting news! As I said in the last chapter, I was looking for a Beta in order to improve everyone's reading experiences. Luckily for me I have found one! So please give a warm welcome to my very first one of a kind Beta: bkerrmom1! She has kindly agreed to look over my chapters and correct any of the careless mistakes that I make and then beat myself up over when I notice them later. I'm glad to have her along for the ride so maybe you could drop her a line stating your gratitude, yes? After all, she's not just helping me she's also helping to give all of you a more happy-fun-read-time!

A/n 2.0: Please pay attention to this because I am addressing some IMPORTANT info. Some of you fine readers have asked some questions that I would like to bring up in my author's note instead of my personalized responses to reviewers just because I think everyone should know. Alright, first of all this fic will probably be a long one. Yes, I mean 15+ chapters. If you're not in for the long haul I understand. Along with this story being a long one there will also be a sequel called A Man's Life after this one. So I hope you guys like long fics cause that's what you're in for. For my second point, one lovely reviewer brought it to my attention that while my fic is rated M at the moment there is no reason for it to be rated so high. I foolishly forgot to mention in the first chapter that there won't be any sort of lemon/limes until later in the story. But worry not my dear perverted audience members, it shall come in time. They may not be good considering I've never written one in my life but as I am a horribly perverted person they should scrape an Acceptable mark. That's all for now. Read on my lovely audience!

Also, this is a message for the lovely reviewers who go by the names of intrepidfish and SanchiaSnape. I genuinely appreciate your offers to be my beta and thank you very much for your kind interest. I gave the position to the first person who offered which is why I must turn down your offers. I'm sorry. I truly hope that I haven't upset either of you. I know you're probably thinking, 'Why would this upset me? Pssht! I'm not even affected!' But I figure better safe than sorry since the last thing I would want would be to offend a precious reader.

_Intrepidfish:_ Haha. Yeah, I realize that this plot line has been used before, and often, but what I wanted to do with this fic is put a bit of a new twist on it. I tried to think of a different animal that I might have been able to do better but in the end I fell back on an oldie but a goodie. Is that lazy? Probably. But I want to be able to give everyone the best story I can offer and the only way for me to do that is to go with what I feel. I'm glad you like the little sub-plots that I've added with darling Draco. I was nervous at first thinking that people would be annoyed at the numerous different story lines going on here but no one has complained so far. As far as the switches in POV with a lot of them I try to separate them with breaks but I know it doesn't always happen. I'll try to keep track of that.

_Seto K4iba1: _Remus will be spending time as a werewolf very shortly but it won't cause any big problems. Thanks for your review!

_Shadow:_ Yep Charlie and Draco are taking a few steps forward. Now get ready for the big step back! *chuckles evilly*

_Thatsallwegot: _Thanks a ton for your review!

_Imici_: Hahaha. I don't know who started it but I like that so many people are trying to guess who figures it out in what order. Your guess is pretty good but I still have surprises packed into every nook and cranny I can find.

_Lientjuhh:_ Thanks for your kind words.

_CHSgrl09: _I'm glad you like it. Thanks for your review!

_LIGHTNSHADOWS: _Hehehe. Yep, Sev is Sev no matter what form he takes. He'll never stop being himself. I doubt most of Hogwarts' inhabitants would think that was a good thing though. *chuckles*

_IchigoPudding: _Yay indeed. Thanks for your review!

_Brigit: _Good to hear. Thanks for reviewing!

_Emily Redbird:_ Thank you so much for reminding me that, in my haste, I forgot to put that the M rated stuff would be in later chapters. I'm glad to hear you like it.

_Tokugawa Blitzer:_ Thanks for your review. Yes, I'm actually excited for Draco to find out about Sev. It doesn't happen in this chapter but it's coming soon.

_YeahMan:_ Haha. Thank you for your kind review! I'm afraid I'm never able to update fast enough to make me happy but here's the next chapter!

_SanchiaSnape:_ Thanks so much for the review! I'm happy you enjoy Sev's reactions. I love writing them as well!

XoxoxoxoxoX

In hindsight Draco thought maybe he should have seen the sudden onslaught of rain as a bad omen. After the day he was having it seemed like the skies had opened up only to mirror his mood for the day.

When he had woken up in the morning it had already been pouring. Frequent crashes of thunder and lightning announced to everyone the end of warm sunny weather. It figured it would do this on the day he had Herbology. He went down to breakfast only to have Ron Weasley stare at him throughout the entire meal. Charlie was missing from the staff table and Blaise had taken the last banana-nut muffin.

None of this would have really bothered him to any great extent on any other day. But it was soon paired with him getting told off in Potions for doing something that Chambers thought was wrong. When she tried to correct him his potion, which was supposed to be azure, turned a sickening yellow colour. She promptly blamed him, saying it was his previous mistake that put him off. He would have said something, something which probably would have gotten points taken, if Potter hadn't noticed his frustration and gotten Chamber's attention.

After his infuriating Potions class he had to walk to Herbology in pouring rain. He cast a charm on his feet to keep him from sinking into the ankle deep mud but this did little good when one of his classmates tripped him. His robes were saturated and he was forced to listen to the boy responsible snickering as he tried to clean them with his wand.

'Just make it through this hellish day. It can't last forever.' He thought to himself. He was headed to lunch, trying to convince himself that the worst had to be behind him, when all of a sudden Weasley was blocking his path. His ears were already red without him even having said anything. "Can I help you, Weasley?"

"I…I owe you…" He took a large breath in and let it out again. "I owe you an apology." He was staring at the floor, his ears darkening a shade.

"Excuse me?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"I was wrong to yell at you and Charlie the other day. He can date whoever he wants and if you make him happy then he should date you." Ron wanted to grit his teeth as he said this but he held himself back. No one was forcing him to apologize to Malfoy. Painful though it was for him to admit, he had probably over reacted... or definitely over reacted. Whatever.

"What are you trying to accomplish?" Draco narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Nothing! I just wanted to apologize!" Ron insisted.

"Don't lie, Weasley. What is it you want from me?" Draco snapped, not believing for a second that Weasley would apologize to him if he didn't have a good reason to.

Ron glared stubbornly for a few moments before letting out a sigh. "I need your help to brew a potion." He finally grumbled.

Draco blinked in surprise. "A potion? What potion do you need so bad that you would apologize to me?"

Ron frowned. "It's a potion called Memento Vivere. It'll bring Hermione out of her coma."

Draco's eyes widened. "Memento Vivere is supposed to be extremely difficult. Where would we even find the ingredients?"

"I already have the ingredients!" Ron said quickly. "All I need is someone who is good at potions. You're…the best in our year at potions besides Hermione."

"You already have the ingredients?" Draco looked at him, his gaze returning to suspicious. "Where in Merlin's name did you get the ingredients to make Memento Vivere?"

Ron blanched. He hadn't thought about what he was going to tell Draco about how he had gotten the ingredients. "Wh-why does it matter where I got it?" he stammered, hoping Draco would drop it.

"What do you mean, 'What does it matter'? Of course it matters! I know what goes into that potion and some of the ingredients are quite rare. I'm certainly not going to join you and get myself in trouble if you've come by these things illegally. Do I look stupid to you?" Draco snapped.

"I didn't get them illegally, you prat. I…got them…from Snape's old rooms." Ron looked down as Draco gaped at him.

"Y-you _stole_ from Professor Snape's rooms?" Draco asked, too shocked to even be angry yet.

"I didn't steal." Ron protested, looking up from the floor. "Snape died. He's not using any of the potion ingredients and I knew he would have what I need."

Draco glared at him. He knew he was probably being overly sentimental with getting angry over Weasley's theft. It _was_ Weasley's girlfriend that was suffering and it was understandable that he would do whatever it took to help her. Nevertheless, him stealing items from _Severus_' rooms, Severus who would have been furious about the theft, seemed like a horribly insensitive thing to do. "You…you're sure this potion will wake Granger?"

Ron's eyes met Draco's and he gave a sigh. "Yeah. But I can't brew it on my own. I need help and Harry isn't exactly renowned for his potion making skills."

Draco returned Ron's sigh with one of his own. "Fine, I'll brew it for you. But don't you ever even think about taking anything from Severus' rooms ever again, Weasley."

"Agreed." Ron gave a slight smile. "We'll start brewing tomorrow during the free period before lunch."

The unlikely duo parted, Draco headed to the Great Hall. By the time he got there most of his favourite food was gone. "I saved you a sandwich." Blaise passed over the plate that held a sandwich and some crisps. Draco scrunched his nose slightly at the tomato on the sandwich and pulled it off. "Thank you." He nodded to Blaise. He glanced up at the staff table to see Charlie. The red-head looked as amazing that morning as he had the night before but that wasn't the main thing that caught Draco's attention. Charlie was talking to a man around his own age that Draco had never seen before. The man had chocolate brown hair that framed his face attractively. It was hard to tell from where Draco was sitting but the bloke looked quite fit. He was smiling at Charlie and, as he spoke, Charlie threw his head back in laughter. Draco felt a stab of jealousy jolt through his body.

Lunch soon ended and Draco, having a free period, headed toward Charlie. The man was still chatting with him and Charlie's back was to Draco. As he approached the duo the unknown man switched his gaze from Charlie to him. "I think one of your little students wants a word with you." Draco heard him say. Charlie turned to look at Draco.

Charlie's face split into a grin automatically. "Draco! How's your day been?" he asked walking around to the other side of the table, his friend following.

"It's been…rather frustrating." Draco allowed himself to sigh. "But it's nothing to worry about. Who's your friend?" His eyes flicked to the other man.

"Ah! Draco, this is Nykedimius Desiderus. Nyke, this is Draco Malfoy. Nyke and I worked together in Romania. We write to each other sometimes and he wrote to say that he was in the country. He'll be visiting for a while." Charlie grinned.

"Nice to meet you." Draco greeted, rather formally, holding his hand out.

"Pleasure." Nykedimius smirked, taking Draco's hand, squeezing it briefly, and releasing it quickly. "Charlie has told me so much about you. It sounds to me like he's been rescuing you left and right this year." He gave a small laugh and placed a hand familiarly on Charlie's shoulder.

Draco felt his cheeks colour slightly at the man's words. "Yes. Charlie has been very kind." Draco returned the smirk, falling back on his upbringing to make his voice as subtly condescending as possible.

Nykedimius gave another small laugh. "Yes. Charlie is always so kind to everyone, even to things that may not deserve kindness."

Draco knew that the insult flew over Charlie's head. Why wouldn't it? He wasn't brought up in high society where any insult said must be veiled. But it rang in Draco's ears like a gong. Draco's eyes met Nykedimius' and locked there. Both wore smiles but both knew where the other stood. It was pretty obvious to Draco that this man already didn't care for him. But Draco knew he would do everything he could not to let that show. He, like Draco, was a pureblood. They had both been trained since they could talk how to deal with someone they hated publicly. Not to mention the fact that this Nykedimius obviously had feelings for Charlie and saw Draco as a rival. They had both been brought up learning to deal with rivals with subtle, yet unforgiving, grace.

Draco had heard of the Desiderus family. They had never been known as sympathizers of the Dark Lord but they had their fingers in numerous dirty deals at the ministry. Draco recalled seeing the head of the family, probably Nykedimius' father; at a ball his father had taken him to when he was younger. Lucius had whispered that the man was supremely overconfident. He was a man that waltzed around the Ministry bragging about his wealth and position. It would seem, by the look Nykedimius wore, that he took after his father in arrogance.

"Well I have to be going. I'll talk to you later, Charlie. Desiderus." He nodded to them.

"Where are you going next?" Charlie asked, never losing that smile that gave Draco a funny feeling in his stomach.

"Charms." Draco noted, with a rush of unexpected affection, that the tenseness between him and Nykedimius hadn't even registered to Charlie. And yet at the same time he almost wished he had realized it. At least then he would be more likely to let Draco have a quick exit.

"I could walk you there." Charlie offered hopefully.

Draco was about to refuse the offer when Nykedimius spoke up. "You can't, Charlie. You're teaching one of Hagrid's classes while he deals with his brother, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Charlie frowned.

"I can walk him." Nykedimius offered, causing Draco's eyes to widen slightly.

"It's perfectly fine. I assure you I can make it on my own." Draco protested only to have Desiderus throw an arm around his shoulder.

"I insist! You get to class Charlie. I'll take care of this one." The man grinned while waving Charlie off.

"Alright. I'll talk to you later Draco. See ya in a bit, Nyke." Charlie waved as he walked out of the Great Hall.

Draco immediately shrugged Nykedimius' arm off him. He turned to look at the other man with a cold look. "What do you want?"

The smile that had been on Desiderus' face while Charlie was present was replaced with a bored arrogant smirk. "I simply thought that this would be a good time to have a little chat with you about something rather important."

"Which is?"

"I know that Charlie is, right now at least, quite fond of you. I just thought I would warn you that it's foolish to get used to it." A sunny smile spread over his face.

"Subtlety doesn't become you. You're rather bad at it. Why don't you just come out and say whatever it is you want to say." Draco bit out.

"If you insist. Charlie is a great guy. He's sweet and gorgeous and he undoubtedly deserves better than a has-been Death Eater like you. Don't make the mistake of thinking that he wants a relationship with you. Charlie is the type of guy who likes to feel like they have something to protect. You, being the pathetic little school punching bag, are the perfect excuse for Charlie to play the hero. But soon all of the students here will get bored of you. They'll start to ignore the pitiful little Death Eater and when they lose interest so does Charlie." His smile stayed in place as his words stabbed at Draco. "Do you understand? He doesn't really want you. He's not even really attracted to you. You're needy and weak and that is what he's attracted to. But that's not what he needs. He needs a guy that he can take home to his family. Someone he can take to dinner without there being a fuss. Someone who all of his friends won't mind being around. Do you really think you can give him that?" He paused as if waiting for Draco's answer. "I didn't think so."

Draco, more than anything else in the world right now, didn't want to admit that Nykedimius' words had struck a chord in him. The other man gave him a smirk before sauntering off. Draco felt his cold façade crumbling around him as heat rushed to his cheeks and his eyes started to burn. He couldn't go to class like this. Instead he turned and headed to where he knew Ron Weasley would be.

Ron was headed for Herbology when he was intercepted by Draco. "Where are the ingredients for the damn potion?" He asked quickly.

"What? Why?" Ron asked.

"Because I'm going to start on it, you prat, now where are they?"

Ron's eyes widened but he thankfully didn't question the blonde. "They're in my room."

"And where is your bloody room, Weasley?" Draco sighed angrily.

Ron gave him directions and the password as Draco tapped his foot impatiently. He watched the blonde walk off quickly and gave a frown of worry. He quickly shook it off, figuring even if they did have a slight truce going he didn't have to spend his time worrying about Malfoy. Not when he had so many other things to worry about.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Severus was glaring at the open pages of a book when Draco barged into the room. Severus, who hadn't been expecting the sudden appearance, sprang into the air as if he were spring loaded. Of course he certainly hadn't meant to do such a ridiculous thing and so immediately did the only thing that would spare him more embarrassment. He pretended it never happened.

Draco had spared a look at the startled cat but didn't stop. He went into Weasley's room and grabbed the ingredients that he found at Weasley's bedside table. With a bit of searching he found a cauldron and levitated it to one of the desks in the sitting room. He pushed another desk end to end with the other.

Potter's cat was watching him closely with its odd black eyes. It came over and leapt onto the table that held the ingredients. Draco was thinking about brushing it off the table but he was surprised to see the cat stay on the very edge, as if not wishing to get in the way or compromise the ingredients. "You're an odd cat." Draco mused, feeling some of the anger building up inside him fade. It was always like this when he began a new potion. Severus had taught him at a young age that he had to control his emotions in order to become great at potions. Brewing now was always a way to clear his head and focus solely on the potion. It relieved stress as nothing else he had ever found did. As he went about preparing the ingredients the cat simply stared at him, as if studying his brewing method.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Severus didn't know what had been bothering his godson but he was happy to see the tension fade from his shoulders as he began cutting an Immortelle blossom into eight pieces before putting them into a mortar with the dried eye of an albino gecko and grinding them together. Severus watched slightly proud as Draco's face became a mask of calm relaxation. He had taught the boy how to do that; how turning aside ones emotions when brewing was crucial for someone who wanted to succeed in potions.

He remembered fondly how Draco, at eight-years-old, would come to visit and sit for hours studying him as he brewed one potion or another. "When one is brewing a potion it is essential for them to lock their emotions away. A person who is distracted by the whims of their heart will easily miss the subtle changes that a long time brewer always knows of and the quiet instincts that a serious brewer eventually gains. Creating a potion is a time when one should be focusing, relaxing, and always learning. Do you understand, Draco?" He remembered saying to the boy as he showed him how to brew a simple cure for boils. Draco had looked up from where he was studying the movements of Severus' hands and had given a cute grin.

"Yes, Uncle Severus." He had smiled.

Seeing Draco now, no longer a boy, brewing and looking as calm and collected as one could ever hope, Severus felt the kind of warm pride that parents must feel when looking upon their child.

Severus was watching Draco closely as he went through the beginning stages of the potion when Potter walked in. "Hey Draco. Um…what are you doing in the Gryffindor rooms?" Harry asked as he threw his bag down beside one of the armchairs.

"I'm brewing a potion for Weasley. It's to help Granger. This potion should wake her up from her coma." He answered as he crushed three banana slugs and a dried daisy blossom into paste before adding two spoonful's to the cauldron.

"Oh. That's great! Are you two…getting along better now?" Harry asked, having a bit of trouble believing that Ron and Draco would be feeling like getting along after the recent Hogsmead debacle.

"We have something of a truce going. I'm sure it's only because he knows he needs me to brew this potion but I'll take what I can get. Anything to keep Weasley from throwing a fit if his brother and I decide to go on another date." Draco answered. The mention of Charlie just reminded him of Nykedimius' smug smile. He shoved the memory back and hoped Potter wouldn't bring it up. However, he had no such luck.

"So you and Charlie, huh? How did that happen?" Harry asked curiously.

Draco gave a sigh and pushed a bundle of Skullcap over to him. "If we're going to stand here chatting you're going to help. Cut the blossoms off these and then cut the stems into thirds." He ordered. Harry smirked but complied with the order. "You remember those boys who were harassing me on the train?" Draco asked suddenly.

"Yeah. What about them?"

"After you were put in the Hospital Wing they found me and were about to do…something. Probably beat me up or turn me into a slug or something. Charlie saw and stopped them. After that he talked to me in the library and asked me out." Draco starred at the potion, trying to ignore the anger at Nykedimius' words that was still trying to resurface.

"Oh. That's…nice. I'm actually jealous." Harry chuckled.

"Jealous? Don't tell me that the almighty slayer of the Dark Lord can't get a date." Draco looked over to the other man with an amused look on his face.

"That's pretty much the way of it." Harry smiled back with a small laugh.

Draco raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him. "You have to be kidding me. You can't get a bloody date? Whatever happened to the Weaslette? Weren't you and her together?"

Harry gave a slightly harsh laugh. "Yeah. We were together. We broke up and after the war I didn't want to get back together with her for…numerous reasons." He finished with the Skullcap and Draco promptly pushed a handful of armadillo livers over to him.

"Choose the five best of those and cut them in half." He ordered. Harry set to it. "So what were your reasons, Potter? Figure out she was a fame-leaching bint?"

"Don't talk about Ron's sister like that." Harry scowled at him.

"Sorry, sorry. But I'm right you know. She cared more about you being the famous Boy-Who-Lived than she did about the actual you." Draco shrugged.

"I suppose you could be right but I don't know." Harry sighed. "True or not, though it wasn't the reason that I didn't get back with her, I couldn't be with her anymore because I found out I was gay."

Draco blinked at Harry in surprise. "You're gay?" He asked, shocked.

Harry laughed. "Yeah. It's kind of hush-hush right now. Only my close friends know."

Draco gave a laugh. "Merlin, Potter! Could you not have told me this two years ago when I wouldn't have felt bad about selling the story to the Daily Prophet?"

Harry laughed in return. "Yeah, sorry about that. I'm sure Rita Skeeter would give a limb to be able to get her hands on that story."

"Well why haven't you gotten a boyfriend then?" Draco asked, taking the liver pieces and dropping them into the cauldron at five second intervals.

"No one has seemed interested in me so far. I know that probably sounds like a lie but it's not. Every guy I've ever tried to flirt with has clammed up and run away." Harry frowned.

"And just how many guys has the all mighty saviour actually flirted with?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow and stirring the cauldron with a glass rod twice counter clockwise.

"Well…just the one." Harry grumbled sheepishly.

"One? That's bloody pathetic, Potter! Honestly, you need to sneak out to the village some night, head to the Three Broomsticks, find a decent looking bloke, and at least attempt to start whatever low class pawing that Gryffindor's call flirting." Draco sent a smirk to the other man while Harry laughed. "It's not like you're a bad looking guy and I'm sure if they don't know about your horrible hero complex you'll be able to hide it."

Harry chuckled. "Should you really be telling me to sneak into the village? Weren't you a prefect?"

Draco scoffed quietly. "Yes Potter and I was always a model student, wasn't I? Never broke a rule did I?" he drawled sarcastically.

"I suppose you have a point." Harry rolled his eyes.

Draco dropped a single unicorn hair into the, now azure and gently bubbling, potion. "Well now it has to brew for forty-eight hours on low heat." He informed while taking out his wand and spelling his hands clean.

"Shall we go to dinner then?" Harry asked.

"I suppose so. Blaise will whine if I don't show up." Draco rolled his eyes. As they opened the portrait hole Severus, who had been watching his godson brew the potion closely while blocking out the useless conversation, leapt off the table and followed the boys out.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Draco grit his teeth as he stared at his plate. Desiderus had been staring at him, sending him haughty looks ever since he and Potter had come down for dinner. The prat was once again sitting next to Charlie and, when he wasn't shooting looks at Draco, he was noticeably flirting with the red head. It was driving Draco mad.

"May I ask what exactly the mashed potatoes did to cause you to glare at them like that?" Blaise asked, distracting Draco from his brooding. "What's gotten you upset now?"

"And what makes you thing I'm upset?"

"Well…you're making my pumpkin juice boil in my goblet…along with about everyone else's juice."

Draco looked up to see several people seated close to him who were looking nervously into their goblets. Draco took a deep breath to calm himself and looked slightly sheepishly at Blaise. "It's that bastard that's sitting next to Charlie." Draco motioned to the staff table. Blaise looked up to see which bloke was the one causing problems. The guy in question was currently laughing at something Charlie had said and slapping the red head playfully on the shoulder.

All it took was a questioning look from Blaise for Draco to launch into the whole story. Blaise listened quietly, an out of the ordinary serious expression on his face. He was sympathetic to Draco's problem but Draco had to admit he had a point when he said, "I'm not sure if you should say anything to anyone else about it. There are a lot of people who don't trust Slytherin right now and Charlie, even if he is a great guy, might not believe you if you randomly accuse an old friend of his of being a giant arse. Right now there isn't much you can do."

XoxoxoxoxoX

Severus, after he had made Potter feed him, decided to roam the castle for a bit. Back when he had been a professor taking walks around the castle grounds had been the most relaxing part of his job. Despite what most of the students thought, that he roamed the halls in hopes of catching and punishing any out of bound brats; it was really more enjoyable if no students were caught at all.

So he went to wander the halls. After the students had gotten through with dinner and were safely back in their dorms the halls were actually quite peaceful. The most troubling thing he experienced was the portrait of Rosabella Whipple, a woman who had insisted with being painted with no less than 18 cats, calling out to him in hopes of luring him to her. Though Severus had no clue what she would have done had he approached her portrait. Other than that it was perfectly calm with only the occasional ghost drifting by. The portraits on the walls either chatted quietly with their neighbours or snored softly. Severus was just beginning to relax when a horribly familiar voice sounded.

_"There you are, my Prince. I've been hunting for you."_ Mrs. Norris purred from where she had stepped out from a secret passageway behind a tapestry.

Severus was about to streak off when the insane cat, guessing his next move, blocked his path. _"As I have told you numerous times, I have absolutely no interest in an insane feline!"_ Severus hissed.

_"And as I have told you, my dear,"_ She let out a small giggle. _"If I can't have you for my mate no one can."_

Severus hissed and yowled loudly as she pounced on him. He attempted to take this stupid creature's eyes out with his claws as she bit his neck. _"Get off me you infuriatingly stupid beast!"_ He hissed. He wasn't sure what exactly Mrs. Norris' goal was where he was concerned. But he did know that no matter what she intended, it didn't change the fact that she was a horrible nuisance.

_"Having fun?"_ Another voice asked.

Severus looked over to see Crookshanks wearing a look that almost resembled a smirk. Severus sent a glare as he took another swipe at Mrs. Norris. _"Make yourself useful and help me!"_

_"I don't know Snivellus. This is actually quite entertaining."_ He purred.

_"I don't bloody care! And stop calling me by that asinine name!"_ Severus hissed at him viciously.

Crookshanks finally jumped over, swiping at Mrs. Norris who had rambling about how Severus would be hers. The male cats continued fighting the mad female until a third voice, this one filled with authority, sounded. _"Mrs. Norris, I have told you many times not to fight with the student's cats!"_

Severus turned to see a tabby cat with markings around it's, or rather her, eyes. Mrs. Norris growled, ears flattening to her head, before streaking off at the sight of McGonagall. _"Good evening Minerva."_ Crookshanks smirked.

She shot him a look that somehow managed to be just as stern in her cat form as it was in her human form. _"Don't you have something better to be dong besides stirring up trouble?"_

_ "I was helping out a friend."_ Crookshanks motioned over to where Severus was sitting.

Minerva's piercing gaze went to Severus. He froze, having no clue whether or not she would recognize him like this. His answer came swiftly as he saw her nose twitch and her eyes widen. She transformed back into her humanoid form with a small pop. Her eyes were wide and her mouth gaped open slightly.

Severus gave a small sigh, memories of the last time he had seen Minerva flashing through his mind. _"Minerva."_ He greeted softly.

Minerva gave a small scream, her hands flying to her mouth. Her face had gone completely white. "S-Severus? Is that really you?"

Severus gave another sigh and sat back on his haunches. _"Yes."_

Minerva exhaled with a shudder, as though someone had walked over her grave. "How? Harry said you were dead. We found your body. I was at the funeral!" Her voice rose almost hysterically.

_"Albus is the one responsible."_ Severus murmured. He explained about him dying and Albus insisting that he be given a second chance at life. He told her about having to convince the Golden Trio, along with Draco, of his true identity. He informed her about having had Weasley be the first to find out, leaving out the fact that this accomplishment was quite by accident.

"I…I can't believe you're alive. When I heard that you had died…and that you were on our side the entire time. All that you were put through…" To Severus' horror he saw Minerva's eyes misting over.

Severus looked away from her, uncomfortable. _"We all did what we had to. I'm sure that I wasn't put through anything that wasn't common for someone as close to the source of the war as I was."_

"Still," Minerva murmured softly, dabbing her eyes with the sleeve of her robes. "We, me and the fellow teachers, were so quick to distrust you. We didn't for a second question your motive for killing Albus. We all just jumped to conclusions. It wasn't fair to you Severus."

_"You did as well as you could with the information you had at the time. I won't pretend that you lot didn't make my life as headmaster rather…unsatisfactory. However, it was my job to appear to be the Dark Lord's faithful servant. I did my job well. You have nothing to feel guilty over."_

Minerva sniffled slightly and dabbed her eyes again. "Yes well I'm still sorry, Severus. And now you have to go through this nonsense because of Albus."

_"Yes. Well we always knew Albus Dumbledore liked to play with lives. Why would he change in death?"_ Severus asked sarcastically.

"You may have a point." Minerva chuckled. "To be honest you being turned into a cat does seem like something that Albus would have found amusing. How are you coping?"

Severus barely withheld a sneer. _"It is usually somewhere between irritating and infuriating. But I am…working through it."_

"I suppose that's all you can do at this point. But I want you to know that anything I can do, I will do to help you along."

_"Thank you. For now at least I have everything under control."_ Severus felt a surge of something like companionship. Minerva and he had always had a somewhat strenuous friendship ever since he had started working at Hogwarts. Both of them finding common ground in their mutual respect for each other in their chosen fields. Only now that Severus had regained it did he realize how horrid it had been without their shaky friendship. _"I think I'll head back to Potter's room now. Out of the few individuals who have managed to discover my identity you are undoubtedly the most preferable. Mr. Weasley finding out was a fluke while Miss Lovegood making the discovery was all but useless."_

Minerva chuckled again. "Well I'll walk you back." She transformed back into her cat form and they both headed back to the eighth year Gryffindor rooms. They said their good nights and before Minerva transformed back into her human form to open the door for him she said, "I hope you'll stop by my office sometime. I could tell you about all the things that have gone on during your absence that I doubt Mr. Weasley would have thought to bring up."

_"I will probably take you up on that offer."_ Severus nodded. Minerva opened the portrait hole for Severus and he crept into the dorm.

He headed to Potter's room to find the young man sitting up reading. He looked over as Severus came in. "Hey Prince. I didn't know you had come back with us tonight from dinner." He wiggled his fingers over the edge of the bed hopefully, trying to tempt him to come over.

Severus rolled his eyes and leapt onto the foot of the bed. He pulled some of the covers over to him in order to make himself a little bed and then curled up in them. Harry leaned forward to start stroking him softly. "You know Prince, I don't know why, but it feels like bad things are just going to keep coming this year. I don't even know exactly why I feel like that. Kind of a dark outlook, huh? But I can't help it. I probably sound crazy. But I do have experience on my side. You don't know this but I've never really had what you would call a quiet year at Hogwarts. I don't even really know what I'm worrying about. And it's not like I can talk to Ron about it. He already has enough stuff to worry about with Hermione in the hospital. Not to mention he got a letter today from Percy saying that George was found with some potion called Mors Vincit Omnia. Percy didn't say what exactly the potion did but it wasn't…good. They got it from him before he could use it and now he's living back at the Burrow. But yeah, Ron already has a lot to worry about without me unloading on him. I wish I could have saved Fred. Maybe if I had defeated Voldemort sooner. Maybe if I had just given myself over to him when it all started I still could have defeated him and no one would have had to die. Maybe if I—"

Harry was cut off, having been talking more to himself than Prince, by a paw against his lips. Prince, while he hadn't been paying attention, had climbed up his body and placed a paw over his mouth. The cat was now glaring at him. _"You can't do anything about all of that now."_ Severus meowed with a half-hearted glare.

He couldn't take people spouting off what-if's. They were like nails to a chalkboard to him. It lead down the same road every time no matter who it was. "What if I had done this?" "I could have saved them if only I had done this." "What if I had never said that?" It swirled and swirled in a cyclone of pointless despair. He hadn't been able to stand listening to what-if's ever since he had nearly destroyed himself with them after Lily's death.

Harry chuckled, causing Severus' paw to slide from his lips. "I guess you want me to shut up while you're trying to sleep, huh? Alright. Good night, Prince."

Severus curled back up in his stolen blankets as Potter lay back down. _"Just go to sleep, brat."_ He meowed. And if this was said, or meowed, in a tone of very slight affection neither of the bed's occupants noticed.

Xo End Chapter oX

A/n: Whew! That took forever to write! But well worth it! Thank you ever so much for reading my dears. Please leave a review but if you must flame at least do it for a good reason. Lots of love to all of you!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A Siriusly Big Problem

Disclaimer: After checking for what must be the millionth time I have re-discovered that I am not J. . Therefore I do not own most of the lovely characters you shall find herein. However if you find one you don't recognize from the books they are probably mine.

A/n: A special thanks to my lovely beta, bkermom1! Any mistakes you may find in this fic are mine and mine alone. And without a doubt there would be more without her kind assistance.

A/n: I have to address a one thing that is slightly IMPORTANT. Because of the many changes that have been happening on I am now getting a lot of reviews where the screen name is only Guest. The only problem this creates is possible confusion when I address my reviewers at the beginning of each chapter. I always respond to my reviews in order from first to show up for that chapter to last to show up. So if you simply really don't want to type in a name then you may look up your order and then read my response. However, this also brings up another question. Should I continue with my response to reviews? If you would like me to continue responding to your lovely reviews simply say so and they will continue. If not I will stop. Your reviews will be treasured either way. Also, in this chapter there will be a dream sequence/memory that has graphic gore! If you can't stomach it I understand completely and apologize. I do feel that it was necessary though. Thank you.

_BloodyRose90_: Thank you for your lovely review! Yes, I enjoy writing Mrs. Norris with her obsession for poor Sev. I can completely understand you not liking dear Nykedimius. He is kind of a jerk isn't he? But a lot of fun to write. Hehe.

_Revengerufus_: Yay indeed! Thanks for your review!

_Risi_: I love hearing that people love my little story. Yes I've been looking forward to Minerva finding out. And yes, I'm sure if Filch could turn into a cat him and Mrs. Norris could run off and be happy together. Perhaps have a litter of deranged kittens…or not. Hahaha.

_Lientjuhh_: Happy to hear you like it! Thanks for the review!

_Guest_: Haha. Yes, Nyke presents a whole new kind of trouble for darling Draco. I really do love Draco but he is kinda fun to pick on. And so is Severus. I'm sure they would be quite angry with me.

_Emily Redbird_: Haha. No reason to feel stupid. But yes I figured it would be pretty easy for Minerva to recognize Sev in her cat form since Sirius said in POA that he could communicate with Crookshanks. I take that to mean any animagus can communicate with any animal pretty much. McGonagall is hard to keep in character simply because in the books she is almost always seen in a professional setting but I think I did an alright job.

_Surrealistic Angel_: Thank you so much for your kind words!

_Guest_: I take it you're talking about Harry and Draco not having found out Sev's identity. Well let's face it; Harry was never the brightest crayon in the box. As for Draco, the poor kid is going through a lot right now so he really doesn't have that much time to pay attention to a cat. Haha.

_Catzarossa_: Oh…well thank you a lot for your kind words. Unfortunately, the ending definitely will not be quite like that. Alas, Harry and Draco are not meant to be in this fic. And poor Sev would be miserable if he had to live his life as a cat until he died. Haha.

_AlmondWithUnicornHair_: I'm glad you like my story! Thanks for the review!

_Revengerufus_: Haha. Well I suppose two reviews means I should respond twice. Thanks for your review!

_Guest_: Haha. Yep. Those two have a nice kitty talk in this chapter!

_Guest_: I know that you're either intrepidfish or SanchiaSnape. But since you're signed in as only "guest" and the one who isn't you hasn't reviewed this chapter I have no way of knowing which you are. Haha. But whichever you are I'm relieved to hear that you're not upset with being unable to beta. Everyone seems to love Mrs. Norris and Sev's interactions which makes me happy. Good luck with your story and thanks for the review.

_Guest:_ Haha. Yes, Severus would be a lovely name for a cat. Personally I have a cat named Harry. He enjoys it when I bow to him and greet him as Mr. Potter.

_Torry-Riddle_: Thanks for your review!

_Lain Marie_: Thanks so much for the review! I'm always happy when someone finds my fic funny. And don't tell anyone, but your wish for what happens next may come true faster than you think. Hehe.

_Saturnblue:_ Haha. Yep. Sev is veeeery slowly coming around to not completely hating dear Harry. And yes, I really like the whole Draco being comforted by Harry when the whole school turns against him thing.

_Codelulu-chan:_ I'm happy to hear you're liking it so far. Yes, they can only hear Sev after they guess that it's him.

_SuperSaiyanTeemo:_ Hahaha. No need to worry about me giving up the story. Even if it takes a bit I give my solemn vow that the chapters will keep coming.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Sirius Black, long time prankster, Marauder-til-death, godfather of the chosen one, and lover of Remus Lupin, was horribly bored.

It was Saturday morning which meant there were no classes. He had taken Remus to bed earlier that morning, the full moon having been the night before. Sirius had considered asking the new Potions professor whether she could brew some Wolfsbane potion for Remus but when he had suggested this Moony had shaken his head. "From what McGonagall says I might as well ask a first year to brew it. I may get a better result than I would with that Chambers woman." He had said. "I'll get along fine as long as you're there with me."

So at sunset the day before, he and Remus had locked themselves into the warded room that Galloway had supplied for the transformation. Sirius had transformed into Padfoot and eventually Remus' transformation came as well. Sirius hated it when they couldn't find someone to brew Wolfsbane for Remus. Being with him as Padfoot did calm him a lot but there were still times when he would lash out at himself or Sirius. And he was always more exhausted after a full moon without Wolfsbane.

He had fallen asleep at sunrise and Sirius had cast a Feather Light charm on him before carrying him up to bed. He had tucked him in and pressed a kiss to his forehead before heading to the Hospital Wing to get a scratch on his leg fixed. During the night Moony had gotten antsy and lashed out at Sirius before he had a chance to calm him.

It really showed just how much Remus loved him when, right after Moony had hurt him, he began whimpering and cleaning the wound with his tongue. But unfortunately, werewolf saliva wasn't known for its healing properties. So Sirius still ended up in the infirmary.

Madame Pomfrey healed the claw mark with a wave of her wand and Sirius was back to being bored. He went to Harry's rooms, wondering if he could do something with his godson for a while. They had been in the same school all year and yet he felt like he had barely seen his godson at all.

So he went up to his rooms to ask if Harry wanted to go out and possibly play some one-on-one Quidditch. They hadn't had the time to play since the middle of summer and it was rather nice out for being late autumn. When he went into the eighth year Gryffindor rooms he found Harry busy helping Draco Malfoy of all people brew a potion.

"No Potter! I clearly said _shred_ not _slice_. For Merlin's sake! Aren't you in N.E.W.T.s potions?" Draco griped, pushing the wrongly prepared ingredients away.

"I said I was sorry! It's not as though we can't get more dried lavender! Quit harping at me, while you're at it! You sound like a bloody crazy person!" Harry shot back.

Sirius was truly surprised to see the two getting along so well. They may be arguing but the light in Harry's eyes seemed to suggest it was good natured instead of beingfuelled by bitterness. Sirius still found it odd seeing as Harry had complained to him about the Malfoy heir numerous times over his school career. But now he was looking at the blond with a look of amused frustration. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Sirius! What are you up to?" Harry asked, ignoring Malfoy's huff.

"Just figured I would come up and see what my godson was up to." Sirius glanced at the steaming cauldron that Draco was stirring carefully.

"I'm helping Draco brew a potion to wake up Hermione." Harry answered. "It's supposedly difficult to brew alone and Ron has this tendency of fighting with Draco whenever they're alone…or not alone. So it was decided that I would help. How's Lupin? Last night was the full moon, right?"

"Yes. He had a bit of a hard time last night but we made it through." Sirius gave a small smile, making a mental note to ask Harry when he had started getting on with the Malfoy heir so well. He knew they were both gay. Perhaps they had a secret relationship going. "I guess I'll get out of your way."

"Ah, well in an hour the potion will have to brew for the next twelve hours. So if you don't have anything going on we can find Ron and maybe play some Quidditch." Harry grinned to his godfather as he smashed Moon Blossom petals into a paste. "Would you want to come and play, Draco?"

Draco's eyes widened in surprise at being included. "Ah, well, yes. I suppose that could be…nice."

"Great. I'll see you two in about an hour." Sirius waved and went out the portrait hole.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Severus was currently sitting on Minerva's desk in her office. Minerva sat behind her desk, a tea cup in front of each of them. Severus, trying to suppress a headache as he absorbed all the information she had just told him about.

Apparently Potter's hero complex exceeded simply risking himself for any living creature. It also made him feel as though he had to do dead men favours. According to Minerva the boy had argued Severus' innocence in front of the Wizard Council, providing his memories as proof of his true loyalties, and even going so far as to insist Severus receive an Order of Merlin, First Class. And apparently that wasn't all he thought fit to do. He had also appealed to the Board of Governors to get Severus' portrait hung in the Headmasters office. They had allowed it even though it usually wasn't a privilege given to Headmasters who had abandoned their post. There was even, if what Minerva said was true, going to be a memorial for Severus put up on the grounds as well as another memorial for all the war victims that was to be put up in Hogsmead. All because Potter felt the foolish need to make something up to a dead man.

_"And, out of curiosity, what became of the money that is awarded to Order of Merlin recipients?"_ Severus asked.

"Since you had no family it was donated to the Dumbledore's Army House for Orphans of War. It's a new orphanage that was opened over the summer to take in the many children left without parents. It's located in Godric's Hollow. I believe that was something that Mrs. Granger, Mrs. Lovegood, and Mr. Longbottom were mostly working on this summer. I believe it was Mr. Longbottom who proposed the idea to the Ministry. As well as the name." Minerva answered.

_"Do you know whether anyone told Potter that there were worthier pursuits for his time than getting my name any form of recognition?"_ Severus asked with a slight sneer.

"Not that I know of. Most people thought it was a very kind gesture." She answered, sipping her tea delicately.

_ "A kind gesture. Maybe it would have been a kind, though still unwelcome, gesture had I still been alive. As it is, such actions seem useless and extremely sentimental coming from a boy who loathed and disrespected me at every turn."_ Severus lapped at his tea, not looking at Minerva as he spoke.

The Transfiguration teacher held herself back from rolling her eyes. "Everyone agreed that you deserved to be recognized as the war hero that you were." Minerva halted for Severus' snort of disbelief but continued none-the-less. "Mr. Potter, being one of the few people who have viewed the memories you left, decided to do all he could to get you the recognition you deserve."

_"One of the few? I thought he gave the memories as evidence."_ Severus looked at Minerva curiously.

"Mr. Potter only allowed a few members of the council to actually see the memories. The memories legally belong to him since it was him you left them to. He didn't think it appropriate to allow too many people to see them." She shot a meaningful look at him.

Severus felt a rather unwelcome stab of gratitude for Potter. He had been a bit concerned that when and if he ever returned to his body he would be forced to face person after person who had seen his memories. People who now thought they knew him and would try to force him into the mould of some tragic hero. At his age that was the absolute last thing he needed.

When and if he returned to his normal life he planned on getting rid of the house on Spinner's End first thing. He would pack up his possessions and move to a nice quiet place in the country. Maybe he would start an Owl Order potion service. He would live there in peace until he was allowed to die for good. There would be no more missions, no more spying, no more masters, no more having to rescue Harry bloody Potter, and no more incurably stupid students. And thanks to Potter's discretion with his memories all of that might actually be possible if he ever got back into his body. The mere thought of it was rather lovely.

"Severus…are you purring?" Minerva was giving Severus and odd look as he wandered in his own thoughts.

He snapped out of it quickly. _"Of course I'm not."_ He said, keeping a straight face. Something that wasn't too difficult in the body of a cat. _"So at the beginning of the year it seemed as if you weren't entirely overjoyed with the new Headmaster. Galloway, isn't it?"_

Minerva pursed her lips. "He is a…capable man." She sipped her tea. "We simply had a slight disagreement over whether or not certain students should be allowed to return to the school."

_"Mr. Malfoy?"_ Severus asked.

"Him as well as a few others who were also associated with Death Eaters in some way. He believed that it would be inappropriate to allow them back into the school while it was my belief that they should be given the chance to complete their education should they wish to. I may have…insinuated that his time as Headmaster would go more smoothly if he had the full support of the staff."

Severus smirked._ "Yes. I got a taste of how it is to run the school without the 'full support of the staff'. You can be most adept at making a Headmaster's life miserable. Though I should have realized that during the Umbridge crisis." _His voice held a trace of amusement. _"But I think I will head back to Mr. Potter's rooms. He and Mr. Malfoy are working on the potion I mentioned and I would like to supervise."_

He leapt from the desk as Minerva banished their tea cups. "There's something I would have never thought I'd hear. Potter and Malfoy getting along in any way. Good afternoon, Severus. Feel free to stop by again. I know you never were very social but now that you don't have the option you might miss it every now and then." She gave a smile as he left her office. Severus feeling in higher spirits than he had since he had come back to life. Though, truth be told, it had probably been even longer than that since he had felt even slightly happy.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Sirius, having an hour to burn and no other way to burn it, was enjoying a pastime that would have made Remus shake his head in exasperation. But he couldn't help it. He had tried to tell Remus that it was just instinctual but he still got a lecture every time he was caught. Sirius Black, pureblood son of a mad family, was in dog form chasing student's cats.

It had all started in seventh year when he and James had perhaps indulged in a few too much firewhisky. Remus had long since retired for that evening and Peter had passed out. James and him however were still reliving the cause for the celebration, Gryffindor slashing Slytherin for the Quidditch Cup, and needed something to do in order to entertain themselves. So they had taken to the halls where James had challenged Sirius to chase Mrs. Norris.

So Sirius had found that he quite enjoyed chasing cats. He hadn't really been able to take part in the guilty pleasure for a while but there was no time like the present. Especially when there was time to kill and Remus couldn't really get around to yell at him. The familiar scent was what had caught his attention at first. He couldn't tell exactly why it was familiar. He could tell the scent belonged to a cat but there was something else to it. A slight memory it was trying to tug at. So the faster he found it, the faster he would see it was just a cat at which time he could shake off the weird feeling and chase said cat.

This thought, coupled with the fact that the trail was getting fresher, made his tail wag happily. He spotted the cat at the end of one of the halls as he turned a corner. It was a lanky black cat with a green collar around its neck. Sirius was sure he had seen it before, explaining the familiar scent, but didn't let that worry him. He let out a playful growl and ran at the feline with a series of echoing barks.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Severus had been calmly strolling back to Potter's room, thinking about nothing in particular, when his relaxing walk was completely destroyed by a loud growl. He turned just in time to see a large black dog come running at him down the hallway. The dog letting out a cacophony of loud barks.

There wasn't time to think, his instincts kicked in long before his brain had fully caught up to what was happening, and he bolted down the hallway. The damn dog, that Severus knew was Sirius bloody Black, continued to chase while barking madly.

Sirius meanwhile was being slightly distracted by the memory that was still trying to surface. A tingling feeling that there was something he needed to remember. The feeling was so strong that he wasn't feeling nearly as much enjoyment for cat chasing that he usually felt.

He growled in slight frustration for a moment; though the sight of the cat running into a dead end made him slightly happier. For some reason he found it hilarious when the cats got all puffed up and backed into corners. He figured it must just be one of those dog things like the strong desire he always got to pee on the furniture whenever it was close to Remus' time of the month.

Severus meanwhile was looking for an escape frantically. Finding none, he turned to face the great fool of a mutt chasing him. He knew that Sirius probably wouldn't hurt a random cat but that didn't stop the fur on his back from standing up or a hiss sounding loudly from his mouth. He raised a paw, ready to claw the fool as much as he could if he got too close.

Sirius, who only planned on stepping forward and freaking the cat out a bit more and then leaving, was finally overtaken by the memory that had been trying to force its way forward. He, James and Peter had snuck out of their dorm under the invisibility cloak. Remus had been upset with them over some prank he hadn't approved of and had stayed in the dorm.

They had been going to check a possible new secret passageway that Peter said he had heard about from one of the ghosts. They may not have been being as careful as one should have been. James had tucked the cloak under his arm, them having gotten irritated with tripping over it.

They had been laughing at some joke that James had said when they had heard footsteps from up ahead. They had quickly gotten under the cloak just in time to see Snape coming down the hall with a load of books in his arms. He must have been working on some essay or another in the library. They, almost giddy with their luck, followed Snape down the hallway. The opportunity was almost too good to be true. Peter was having a hard time keeping his laughter contained.

Snape had just been about to turn down the hallway that lead to the dungeons when the three Marauders revealed themselves. As usual, the Slytherin reacted immediately. He dropped his pile of books as he went for his wand. He had nearly pulled it out when James hit him with an Expelliarmus.

His wand flew down the hallway and Sirius Accio-ed it with a laugh. Snape had turned and ran down the hallway, the three Marauders on his heels laughing as they cased. In the end they had cornered him and hit him with numerous jinxes, going on their way when they were done with him.

But right now, as Sirius cornered the cat, its eyes were absolutely identical to how Snape's eyes had looked that night so many years ago when the Marauders had cornered him. It was shocking and for some reason Sirius found his stunned mind stating, 'The cat is Snape.'

He came to a dead stop in front of the cat and transformed back into his human form with a pop. "S-Snape?" he stammered.

All of a sudden Snape's voice sounded in Sirius' head, letting out a rather horrible curse. Sirius, who had knelt down, fell back in shock. The cat was looking angry, glaring darkly at Sirius. "Is that really you, Snape?" Sirius asked hesitantly.

The cat gave him a withering glare and then sighed. _"Yes Black. It's me."_ He growled.

Before he could say one more thing however, Sirius snatched him up into his arms and began running quickly through the halls, heading back to his and Remus' room. _"What are you doing, Black? Put me down at once! Let me go!"_ Severus hissed all the way there as loudly as he possibly could.

Sirius threw open the door to his rooms. "Remus!" he yelled, striding for the bedroom while trying to ignore the claws digging into his arm.

Remus, who had been sleeping somewhat fitfully, jerked up in bed at Sirius' alarmed yell. "Sirius? What's the matter?" he asked as Sirius barged into the room holding what looked like Harry's cat.

Sirius held the cat out to him, eyes wide. "Can you hear him talking too?" he asked in a rush.

Remus looked at him oddly, managing to sit up all the way with a slight pained grunt. "Sirius are you feeling quite alright? Why on earth do you have that cat?"

_"You realize in order for him to hear me I would actually have to be saying something." _Severus rolled his eyes.

Remus edged himself out of bed slowly, grimacing with pain. "Sirius, love, what are you talking about?"

"He's Snape! The cat is Snape!" Sirius gave the cat a shake which caused Severus to hiss in discomfort.

"Alright Sirius." Remus took a hesitant step toward him. "I think we need to call Madame Pomfrey. Why don't you just lay down and—"

"I don't need a Healer! Just look at the cat, Remy. He's Snape!" Sirius shook Severus again.

Severus decided that he had taken quite enough abuse. He twisted around in Sirius' grasp, trying to claw him viciously. He had nearly succeeded in swiping Black's cheek when Remus grabbed him from Sirius, looking at the cat.

_"I have had quite enough of being manhandled by you and your mutt! Put me down this instant you damn bloody wolf!" _Severus hissed.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Sirius snarled.

Remus looked from the cat to Sirius. "You're hearing Severus' voice in your head? Coming from this cat?"

Sirius nodded. "Can you not hear him too?"

_"Only people who believe that I am Severus Snape can hear me."_ Severus snarled.

"You have to believe me Remy. I'm not crazy. I don't know how it happened but somehow Snape is in the body of a cat." Sirius looked at Remus, as if pleading with him to confirm that he hadn't gone insane.

Remus looked back at the scowling black cat. He had thought the cat's scent was familiar a few days before. Not to mention the way the cat was looking at him, glaring with its black eyes. The same way that Severus had always looked at him.

_"You know now too, don't you?"_ Severus deadpanned.

Remus, shocked at hearing Severus' voice, jumped. He gasped in pain that spread through his back and ribs, dropping Severus. "Remy! Are you alright?" Sirius stepped forward, reaching out to his lover.

Remus waved him off. "I'm fine." He reassured his worried mate. His eyes went to Severus who was now sitting on the bed. "Severus…how did this happen?"

Severus sighed. Why was it that he was so very accomplished at getting some people to see who he actually was, and yet he had only managed to convince one of the four that mattered? His luck was truly horrible. Severus looked from Remus to Sirius and then began to explain everything. Remus eventually sat down, still exhausted, while Sirius remained standing while glaring at Severus.

_"—and so it must be kept a secret from Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, and Miss Granger once she returns."_ Severus finished.

"And if we don't?" Sirius asked.

Severus' eyes locked onto Sirius in a dark glare. But before he could say anything Remus spoke, "Now Sirius, we have to keep Severus' secret. Don't be childish." He scolded softly.

"No Remus. Why should I allow my godson to be tricked into keeping _him_," Sirius pointed to Severus scornfully, "near him?"

_"I'm not in any way hurting your bloody godson!"_ Severus hissed. He stood on the bed, the fur on his back standing up.

"I don't think he needs this kind of thing in his life right now! Have you thought about all of the horrible memories this is going to dredge up when you come back from the dead? Has Harry not been through enough?" Sirius snarled.

_"This world does not revolve around Harry Potter!"_ Severus yelled, eyes flashing. _"I didn't choose this in any way! If it had been up to me I would still be quite dead!"_

"I won't let you cause more problems! Everyone is trying to move past the war! You coming back wouldn't help!" Sirius yelled back, moving toward the door.

"Sirius stop! Severus please calm down! Sirius where are you going?" Remus struggled to his feet again as Sirius threw the door open.

"I'm not letting this continue! I'm revealing this whole lie right now! I'm telling Harry what's going on!" Sirius headed down the hallway, Remus on his heels.

Severus felt a stab of panic spread through him and raced after the two men. Remus was trying to stop Sirius but the mutt was having none of it. "Sirius! Stop this instant!"

_"Black! This isn't some stupid joke! Are you as willing to destroy my life now as you were when we were boys?"_

"I don't give one bloody fuck about your life, Snape!"

"What is going on here?" Minerva's voice cut through the men's shouts.

_"He's trying to tell Potter about me, Minerva!"_ Severus exclaimed.

"You knew about this?" Sirius asked McGonagall, pointing at Severus.

"Sirius Black, I expect you to calm down this instant. If not because I am ordering you to then because of what your rash behaviour is doing to the man you love." Minerva motioned to where Remus was leaning against the wall, breathing laboured and clutching his side. This seemed to get through to Sirius when nothing else had.

"Remy, oh God, I'm sorry." Sirius stepped towards his lover, wrapping an arm around him.

"Mr. Black, you will follow me along with Remus and Severus into my office. There we will sit and talk about this like adults instead of the childish yelling that you've been doing up to this point." Minerva ordered, her tone leaving no room for any argument.

Severus shot a glare to Sirius before following Minerva into her office. Sirius helped Remus into the office, whispering apologies for being so careless. "It's alright. I'll be fine. But please reconsider what you were just about to do." Remus whispered as they took their seats.

Minerva was seated behind the desk while Severus was sitting rigidly on a corner of the desk. "Sirius, would you like to explain exactly what it is that you were doing?" Minerva asked strictly.

Sirius fought the urge to look down like a student being punished. "I'm not going to let him bring up bad memories for Harry. I haven't been able to protect Harry from a lot of the horrible things he's been through, but all of that is over now. Everyone can move on. But not if Snape comes back and brings all of the war memories with him! Harry saw you die, Snape! Don't you think you coming back to life out of the blue might be a bit traumatic?"

"Sirius, Harry isn't some fragile thing one touch away from breaking. He is stronger than anyone ever expected him to be." Remus spoke softly, trying to calm his partner.

"He's right, Sirius. Not to mention, with his history of heroics, Mr. Potter would probably _want _to help Severus." McGonagall pointed out.

This brought a scathing noise from Severus. Everyone's attention shifted to him. _"Listen Black. I have no interest in spending one second more around Potter than I absolutely have to. As soon as I regain my human body I plan fully on disappearing completely. I won't be around to 'bring up bad memories' or do anything else that might harm your precious godson."_ He sneered.

Sirius grit his teeth and glared at Snape. "Sirius, Mr. Potter aside, I am _not_ going to allow you to ruin Severus' chance at returning to his human body. Do not make me expel you from these grounds." Minerva's lips thinned as she warned Sirius. "You are grown men. I know that Albus tried, and failed, to get you two to get along. I'm not asking that of you. I don't expect you to get along or even work together. But I do expect you to avoid each other if no other solution can be reached. You are grown men. Act like it."

Sirius glared at Severus before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. "Severus, I am sincerely sorry about him. He'll get over it. I personally am happy that you'll be able to have a second chance." Remus offered a smile.

_"Don't worry over Black. I'm certainly not. As long as he doesn't go barking out my secrets I don't care what the mutt does."_ Severus drawled. _"More importantly, are you no longer having someone brew a Wolfsbane potion for you? You're obviously in a lot more pain than you would be if you had taken it."_

"I had heard that Miss Chambers was a tiny bit…unreliable when it came to more complicated potions. I've had a bad batch of Wolfsbane before, not yours of course, and it actually made the transformation more painful." Remus chuckled slightly.

Severus nodded._ "You could always ask Draco. If Minerva is willing to get him the password to my rooms he would have access to the ingredients as well as my notes. He certainly has the skill."_

Remus blinked in surprise. "Thank you, Severus. I'll probably do just that. I didn't know you cared." He gave a slightly teasing smirk.

Severus sneered. _"I simply don't relish the idea of a werewolf sealed up in one of the castle's infrequently used rooms."_ He jumped from the desk and headed for the door. Remus stood and opened it for the cat. _"And keep a leash on your mutt. If he really has time enough to chase cats he can be put to work doing something at least slightly useful."_

XoxoxoxoxoX

"Hey Sirius! We were just coming out to meet you for Quidditch. Are you alright?" Harry looked at his godfather with concern.

Sirius, who had completely forgotten about Quidditch, looked up from the floor at his godson along with Draco and Ron; all of them toting their brooms. Sirius put a smile on his face, hiding his bad mood. "I'm fine, kiddo. Just a little disagreement with Remus. Nothing for you to worry about. I'll probably say sorry later as it is."

Harry offered a smile in return. "Sorry to hear that. Does this mean you're not up for Quidditch?"

"No! I'll come along. Let me get my broom and I'll meet you out there." Sirius smiled.

The three younger men left and Sirius rushed up to his room to gather his broom. He went out to the Quidditch pitch to see all three of the so-called eighth years zooming through the air. Harry was looking happier than he had in quite a while. He was good at hiding it but Sirius could tell he hadn't been sleeping well recently. He hoped that Harry would be okay but he had no idea of how to approach him about the problem.

"Come on Sirius! Me and you on one team and Ron and Draco on the other!" Harry called.

Sirius mounted his broom and kicked off. "Ron and Draco on one team?" he asked Harry, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to get them to get along." Harry grinned.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Potter. You're trying to put me off my game. But you'll soon find out that I can beat you even with a Weasley on my team."

"Oh stuff it, Malfoy." Ron grumbled. Harry chuckled as the game began.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Draco was having one of the most enjoyable days he had had all year. He and Potter played as the Chasers for their teams while Ron and Sirius acted as Keepers. The sun shone in one of its last shows of warmth for the year. Harry made a decent Chaser while Sirius made a slightly less-than-adequate Keeper.

Draco gave a happy shout as he scored another goal. "Ha! I'm thrashing you, Potter!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not made to be a Chaser!" he called. "I've only ever played seeker before!"

Harry managed to snag the Quaffle from Draco and throw it towards one of the goal posts. It had nearly gone in when Ron managed to block it at the last moment. "If you truly had any talent you would be able to adapt." Draco called with a smirk.

Harry was about to make a retort when a shout from the ground caught the four player's attention. They looked down to see Charlie and Nykedimius holding brooms. They both mounted and kicked off, flying into the air and hovering at a proper height. "Can we join you?" Charlie asked, shooting a grin to Draco.

"Sure." Harry smiled. "Just pick a team. Me and Sirius or Draco and Ron."

Before Charlie could say anything Nykedimius raised a hand. "I'll be with Draco and Ron!" he grinned. Draco grit his teeth as Desiderus aimed that grin at him. "You two will have to be patient with me, I'm not the flier that Charlie is."

The game continued, Charlie flirting with Draco as they flew. Sirius chucked the Quaffle to Charlie after a lucky save. "Try to stay focused Charlie!" he yelled. "Young love is great but put it on hold for a bit!"

"Easier said than done!" Charlie yelled back, smiling and winking at Draco.

Draco smiled at him, deciding that ignoring Nykedimius in favor of Charlie was the best option. He was not going to let some stupid jealous prat ruin his fun. He swooped around Charlie suddenly, startling him into dropping the Quaffle. Draco dove after it, laughing as he caught it. He was about to fly towards the goal when there was a shout and something rammed into his side with enough force to feel like it had stabbed through him.

The breath whooshed out of him all at once as the handle of Nykedimius' broom stabbed into his side. In his shock he felt his fingers let go of the broom as he fell off the side. The Quaffle fell from his grasp and he tried to yell, his body unable to pull in enough breath for that to be possible. He heard shouts from the others and saw a small grin on Desiderus' face as he fell.

He was sure he would hit the ground, life fleeing his body before it was even able to pull in a last breath. Suddenly a hand wrapped around his arm, gripping his tightly. His eyes met Charlie's as he was pulled to a sudden stop. His body's momentum tried to carry on towards the earth, however, and there was a sickening pop as Draco's arm dislocated.

Finally able to pull in a breath, Draco let out a loud scream of pain. Charlie struggled to pull the blond onto his broom. He finally managed it and held him close as they landed. Draco held onto his injured arm, keeping it from dangling uselessly and hurting even more than it already did. He barely noticed that Charlie was saying something. "—re okay. You're okay." He was saying, reassuringly.

Draco looked up to Charlie as the others landed. "Are you alright, Draco?" Harry asked as he ran over.

"I'm so sorry, Draco! I was going after the Quaffle and couldn't stop myself in time!" Nykedimius exclaimed convincingly.

Draco sent a glare as he caught his breath. "I'm fine." He gasped.

"Let me heal your arm. It'll only take a sec." Charlie said, pulling out his wand and pointing it to Draco's shoulder. There was another pop, Draco gave a gasp of pain, and his arm was repaired. "Are your ribs okay?"

"Yes. I'm just fine." Draco pulled himself out of Charlie's arms.

"Draco maybe we should take you to the Hospital Wing." Harry suggested.

"I'm not going to the Hospital Wing, Potter. I'm going to my room." Draco bit out. Nykedimius had basically tried to kill him and he couldn't say a thing about it. If he even tried to suggest that the incident had been on purpose it would turn Charlie against him. Not one of them would believe him.

He went to walk away but was stopped by Nykedimius' hand on his arm. "I really am so sorry, Draco. I hope you'll forgive me." He gave a seemingly hopeful smile.

Draco jerked his arm out of Desiderus' grasp and ran to the castle. Nykedimius knew what he was doing and he wasn't going to stop. He knew Draco wasn't able to do anything about the bastard's subtle cruelty.

XoxoxoxoxoX

"Poor thing. He seems quite upset with me. A bit hot-headed, isn't he?" Nykedimius said with a small smirk.

Harry felt a surge of irrational yet intense dislike flare through him aimed at Nykedimius. It was something about the way he smirked. Something about his tone when he apologized to Draco. Harry shook it off and looked to where Draco had run off to. "I'm going to go check on Draco. It looked like he got jabbed pretty hard with the end of that broom. He probably needs to have his ribs checked." Harry reasoned.

"I can go after him." Charlie offered but was stopped by Nykedimius' hand on his arm.

"He's upset and probably embarrassed. You should let Harry take care of it." Nyke smiled. "I know if it was me I would be more comfortable with a friend that I've known for a while."

Sirius gave Nykedimius a slightly suspicious look before following Harry off the field. He caught up with his godson and fell into step next to him. "Does that Nykedimius man have something against Draco?" he asked.

"You noticed something was off too?" Harry looked over to his godfather.

"It was a bit hard to miss. He came close to killing Malfoy and he wasn't exactly distressed over it." Sirius glanced back to where Nykedimius was still chatting to Charlie and Ron.

"Maybe it's because Draco was a Death Eater. A lot of people around here are still quite mad at him for that." Harry shrugged.

"Somehow I don't think that's quite it. If that was the problem I doubt he would be as subtle as he's trying to be." Sirius mused

"I don't really care what he has against Draco to be honest. I'm just _sick_ of all the problems this year. The war is over. Why can't everyone just stop fighting, Sirius?" Harry asked with a sigh.

Sirius frowned. Harry stared at the ground, looking slightly morose. He clapped his godson on the shoulder with a slight smile. "It'll get better, Harry. It's just going to take a little while."

"I suppose you're right. I'm going to check on Draco but where are you going?"

"I'm going to go check on Remy." Sirius smiled. "Hopefully he's resting and I'm not in the dog house too bad."

"Say hi for me. I'll see you in a bit." Harry waved as he headed in the opposite direction of where Sirius was headed.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Harry found Draco in the Gryffindor eighth year rooms, looking at the cauldron that was letting out spiralling wisps of lavender smoke. "It's supposed to be doing that, right?" he asked, slightly teasing.

"Of course, Potter. Don't be ridiculous." He rolled his eyes.

Harry let out a sigh. "Are your ribs okay? It looked like he hit you pretty hard."

Draco cringed slightly. "I'm just fine. I'm sure it looked much worse than it was."

Harry hesitated before asking his next question, unsure of how the testy blond would take it. "Does that Desiderus guy have some kind of problem with you?"

Draco froze in the act of grinding frog bones for the next stage of the potion. He sat down the mortar with a soft thump. "Why would you think that?" he asked softly.

"He was acting kind of…off. I thought maybe he had said something about it to you. Not to mention the fact that he nearly skewered you on the end of his broom and barely had a word to say about it." Harry took a step towards Draco, frowning.

Draco scowled at eh cauldron which was simmering softly, shining a nearly metallic bluish-green. "He…dislikes me." He fiddled with a bundle of dove tail feathers. "He likes Charlie. He said he was going to lure Charlie away from me. Said I'm not good enough for him." Draco ended up telling Harry about all the things Nykedimius had said to him on the day that they had met.

Somehow he and Harry ended up sitting on the sofa, Harry having called for tea and a house elf being only too happy to bring it, Draco pouring his woes out to Potter like a pre-teen girl writing in her diary. "I don't know what to do." He finally grumbled, sipping his tea.

"Well Charlie's not stupid. I think he'll eventually find out that Desiderus is a complete arse. A two-faced arse at that." Harry grinned. "As for Charlie not actually being attracted to you, that's a load of bollocks. He's obviously quite taken with you. Don't even bother worrying about that part."

"Are you flattering me, Potter?" Draco smirked.

"Don't be a wanker." Harry laughed.

"My, what a way with words you have. Be careful of I just might fall for you." He rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"I feel like you're a bit too high maintenance for me." Harry informed cheerfully.

"I'm not that high maintenance!" Draco huffed. He flinched as he exhaled, his hand flying to his ribs.

Harry frowned in concern. "Let me see your ribs." He ordered.

"I'm fine, Potter." Draco scowled.

"Don't make me stun you to look." Harry threatened, scooting closer to Draco.

"Oh Merlin, Potter. Fine! Gawk at me all you bloody want. You really are hard up, aren't you?" Draco grumbled as he shed his robe, lifting his shirt.

Harry blushed. "I'm not wanting to stare at your chest, prat." He looked at Draco's torso, finding a large oval bruise that was already darkening on Draco's fair skin. "Jeeze. He nearly brought blood." He gently touched it with the tips of his fingers. Draco hissed in pain and swatted the hand away.

"In case you couldn't tell, he didn't exactly slow down to hit me." Draco scowled.

"Are you sure your ribs are fine? He may have cracked one."

"I don't think he did. It hurt, knocked the breath out of me, but I didn't hear a crack." Draco looked down at the bruise.

"And your arm?" Harry asked, reaching for the arm in question.

"It's fine. Charlie's spell fixed it up." Draco lifted his arm, showing the range of movement. "But anyways, speaking of you being hard up, did you happen to notice the bloke in the stands that couldn't keep his eyes off you?"

"What bloke?" There had been a few students watching the impromptu Quidditch match but none stuck out in Harry's mind.

"He was in the stands. A Gryffindor, I believe. Looked like a seventh year. I saw him watching you while we walked out. He was sitting with some of his friends." Draco straightened his robes and brushed imaginary dust from his clothing

"You're exaggerating. I'm sure he wasn't looking at me anymore than normal." Harry scoffed slightly.

"Oh yes, because you're _so_ very experienced with men." Draco rolled his eyes.

"How many boyfriends have you had, then?" Harry frowned at the Slytherin.

"I may not have had many boyfriends but I at least do know when someone is flirting with me." Draco smirked smugly.

"I'm sure I would realize it if someone was actually interested in me." Harry defended.

Draco levelled him with a considering look. "No I don't think so."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Stay here and work on the potion, you prat. I'm going to get some of Pomfrey's paste for bruises."

"I do not need to be rescued from a bruise, Potter!" Draco called. Harry chuckled and walked out the door.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Harry walked down the hallway to the Hospital Wing, humming to himself quietly. He turned a corner to come face to face with a seventh year Gryffindor with short dirty-blond hair and lovely hazel eyes. Dimples flashed on his cheeks as he recognized Harry. Though the Boy-Who-Lived didn't know it, he had just bumped into the boy that Draco had noticed watching Harry during their Quidditch game.

"Sorry about that, Potter." The boy, perhaps man was a better word, grinned. His voice was pleasant, his smile charming. "Wasn't watching where I was going."

"N-not at all." Harry muttered, feeling a blush rising to his cheeks for unknown reasons. He struggled to remember the man's name. "Gundry, right?"

"That's right. Ariston Gundry." That charming smile was flashed at Harry again. "I saw you playing Quidditch today. Who knew you were as good in the just-for-fun games as you are in a serious one. Never go easy on the other side, huh? I like that."

Harry felt the blush overtake his face. Butterflies began to awaken and flutter in his stomach. "Thank you." He mumbled.

"Hey…I've been curious for a while, how would you like to go out with me on the next Hogsmead weekend?"

Harry blinked in surprise, saying the first thing that sprang to mind. "Like as friends?"

Gundry gave a warm chuckle. "I was thinking more like a date."

Harry's face felt like it was going to catch fire at any moment. He would be lying if he said that Gundry wasn't a very fit bloke but it was also true that they barely knew each other. "W-we don't know each other very well." he squeaked out.

Another chuckle, a flash of white teeth and a twinkling of hazel eyes. "That's why I want to take you out. Everybody knows all about the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. I want to get to know Harry. Just Harry."

The butterflies in Harry's belly seemed to multiply. "I…then yes. Yes I'll go out with you." The blush once again darkened. "That'll be nice."

"Fantastic. I'll meet you at the castle gates in a week, yeah?"

"Yes." Harry smirked. Gundry gave another of his heart-melting smiles and walked down the hallway. Harry turned to watch him until the other man turned a corner.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Harry returned to the dorm with the bruise paste in tow. Madame Pomfrey had huffed at him before handing the paste over and shooing him off. Warning him to be more careful as he left. "Why are you smiling like that?" Draco asked as Harry entered the room. He was at the cauldron again, stirring in careful figure eight patterns.

Harry hadn't been able to subdue his grin ever since being asked out by Gundry. It didn't take a second for him to launch into the explanation for his smile. Draco listened while cutting the heat on the cauldron. As Harry finished he looked up with a smirk. "I told you there was a guy watching you. One day you'll accept that I'm right about everything."

"Let's not get any more arrogant than you already are." Harry scolded. "So you think it's a good idea?"

"What? Going out with Gundry? Of course I think it's a good idea, Potter! I know for a fact, from years of listening for the slightest bit of information to make fun of you with, that you suck at relationships. Your little debacle with Cho Chang was just one example. You are completely oblivious to people who are interested in you." Draco snorted.

"I am not!" Harry protested with a frown.

"I had a crush on you in first year. Did you know? I wanted to impress you. I actually didn't fully realize it at the time but I am told by Blaise that I was quite obvious. It's why I was so upset when you refused my hand on the train." Draco smirked.

Harry blinked in surprise. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I am. Don't worry, that snitch was caught a long time ago. I came to my senses when I realized you have horrible taste in friends, clothes, hair styles, and pretty much everything else."

"I consider _you_ my friend." Harry smirked.

"That does not change my statement." Draco deadpanned.

"And how the hell was I supposed to realize you liked me when you were always being such an arse?" Harry laughed.

"My Ministry appointed therapist says that's how I show affection."

Harry chocked on a laugh. "You have to be kidding!"

Draco smirked. "Well I do have a Ministry appointed therapist. It's required as part of my probation. But no, he hasn't actually said that being an arse is how I show affection."

Harry laughed. "Well I would hope not."

"But besides me having a stupid crush on you there have been quite a few others."

"What? Who?" Harry frowned in confusion.

Draco gave a sigh. "The oldest Creevy brother was completely enamoured with you as soon as he set eyes on you. And then there's Victoria Frobisher, Lisa Turpin, Rose Zeller and numerous other girls that have desired you for years. I know of five other Hufflepuff girls right now that would give their left arms to go on a date with you." He rolled his eyes.

"I think you're exaggerating." Harry huffed.

"Right. Believe whatever you want to then. You're great in relationships." He drawled sarcastically.

Harry just smirked. "I may not be great with relationships but maybe Gundry can change that."

"We can only hope." Draco added a pinch of mint to the cauldron and gave a smile. "Good news, Potter. With two days cooling time notwithstanding, the potion is finished."

"Really? That's great! You're amazing, Draco!" Harry beamed at the blond as well as the shimmering lilac potion.

Draco tried to hide his proud smile. It was a tricky potion to make, especially dealing with the delicate blue flower which had to be added to the potion while it was at exactly 96.5 degrees. If the temperature was off even slightly the potion would fail. And of course there were the complicated stirring patterns when adding the dove feathers. Harry was still grinning, looking into the cauldron.

"Let's go find Ron and tell him. Then we can head to dinner." Harry smiled. Draco agreed and followed Harry out of the room.

XoxoxoxoxoX

The room was dark and yet Severus could dimly see half a dozen figures on their knees in the middle of the floor. His eyes flicked around the room, seeing five other figures dressed in black robes. One of the five was seated on a large chair made of dark stone. He was the only one in a black robe that did not don a hood. His pale skin shone in the darkness. His red eyes gleamed in malicious glee as he looked down on the six muggles on the floor.

The Dark Lord looked at his Death Eaters. "Severus, I asked dear Lucius to collect some specimens for you to harvest potion ingredients from for the potion we discussed. You said the ingredients were best when harvested fresh, did you not?"

"Yes, my lord." Severus heard himself say. And had he said such a thing? Yes perhaps he had. At the time as an excuse for why he couldn't make a potion that would amplify the Death Eaters' curses to an extent that would shatter most magic shields. Of course it would come to this. The Dark Lord would get what he desired and what would Albus do about it this time?

"Lucius has also found a very useful spell that should aid in the collection of ingredients as well as provide a bit of entertainment for everyone. Lucius, you may proceed." Voldemort gave something that resembled a smile.

Severus watched as Lucius stepped forward, the six muggles on the floor flinching away as best as they could. Lucius grabbed one of the men, dragging him away from the others. The man babbled frantically in Italian. Begging and sobbing. Making Severus wish he didn't speak Italian.

"Don't harm me sir! Please spare me and my wife! We won't tell anyone! We have children waiting for us! Please!" the man screamed, his breath coming out in loud panicked gasps. Lucius pulled his wand, holding it above the man. With a flick of it the man's clothes were ripped from his body. He gave a shriek, more from surprise than anything.

Severus felt bile rise in his throat as the other Death Eaters laughed. Had he ever wanted to come to this? Even as a teenager, cruel, angry, and blood thirsty. Had he ever wanted or ever thought about what service to the Dark Lord would actually turn him into?

Surely to the muggles, one of which was now screaming for her husband, they were the ones that looked like animals. Cruel animals interested in spilling blood for no other reason than to hear their victims scream and beg. How monstrous they must look. How utterly and unimaginably vile.

Lucius gave looked at the frightened man as if he were some putrid insect. "Tersus Incidere!" he spat. A line appeared, travelling up the Italian man's torso as if someone were drawing on him with a red quill. The man gasped and looked around, not yet realizing he was already dying.

The cut, thin, smooth, and graceful as any surgeon could ever hope for, opened suddenly. The man gave an inhuman scream as his intestines spilled from his body. He tried to stand, as if to get away from the horror of his own innards, and tripped over the exposed guts. A grotesque squish coming from the trod upon organ.

Severus rushed forward. "Hold him down!" he demanded but was unable to be heard over the screams and laughter that rang throughout the small room. He forced the man onto the ground, attempting to pin him. "Lie still! Lie still, damn you!" He barked in Italian. The man blubbered and cried, somewhere his wife was being restrained while screaming for her husband's release. And over it all was the maddening sound of laughter. Laughter from the Death Eaters but even above that the high pitched laughter from the Dark Lord.

Severus cut with his wand organs out of the still living owner, as he was ordered. It took a surprising amount of time for the man to die from this kind of energy. It seemed an eternity before the man's screams died to a bloody gurgle before stopping completely.

Severus was covered in blood. So much marred his hands he wondered if it would ever fully come off. He had just finished cutting the last useful bit from Mr. Italy when the sounds of tearing clothing rang again through the room.

Mr. Italy's wife had been stripped, her letting out a scream and trying to cover her ample breasts as her clothes were ripped away. Quick as a flash her hands were pulled away from their protective position, two of the Death Eaters deciding to help keep this victim in control. Lucius' voice sounded again and her torso was slit open. She gave a scream so full of dismay it was devastating and ripped one of her hands away from her capture, trying to hold her torso together with a desperate cry. Her hand was ripped away again and she was forced to lie down on the stone floor.

A flash of awareness came to Severus. He had seen this before. It was a dream, no, a memory. One he had relived in his dreams a hundred times. He knew without looking that the woman was fighting her capturers' like a wildcat, her torso slipping open to reveal the bloody mess inside.

And if he looked at the bosom she had been so desperate to hide would he not see a golden necklace shaped like a heart with the words, 'IO amore tu, Maria.' Inscribed on the back? A necklace that would later be severed by a slicing spell. A necklace that Severus would pick up later when the others had left and yet their laughter still rang. A necklace he would keep for the rest of his damned existence in a hidden box in his rooms. Something to serve as a reminder. A symbol of his sins.

Yes, those things would happen (had happened?), and yet Severus couldn't stop himself from stepping toward the woman. The woman had stopped screaming even though she must be in horrible pain. Instead silent tears ran down her cheeks as her torso was fully opened for Severus' perusal.

Severus stooped down towards her, his knees in a pool of blood, and drew his wand. As he did so the woman, whom he later would learn was Maria Grace Abandonato, looked at him with cold eyes. "Let God curse you for all your life. May you suffer every day and then be cast into the pits of Hell." She whispered softly, almost as if talking to a lover.

"I am already there." He remembered thinking. He killed her as he had killed her husband. He cut the organs from her still living body but still she did not scream. The hate that blazed in her eyes keeping her silent and alive until the moment Severus removed her heart.

"One more tonight, Severus. The rest of them you may all do whatever you wish. We can always find more." Voldemort grinned, being answered by approving yells from his Death Eaters.

Severus turned to meet the next victim whose blood he would have on his hands. Instead of the young American boy who should have been there, the one that cried for his mother and pissed himself when he was stripped, was replaced by a familiar head of messy black hair and startling green eyes.

"Potter." He heard himself whisper though none of the Death Eaters seemed to take notice.

Potter looked up at him, his eyes shone in the gloom, a saviour stripped at Severus' feet for some dark senseless sacrifice. "It's alright, Prince. It's okay." The boy spoke softly, calmly.

"It is not okay, Potter! You need to get out of this place!" Severus snarled, stepping towards the boy, ready to disarm Lucius if he tried to use Tersus Incidere on Potter the way he had on Mr. and Mrs. Abandonato.

"Shh. It's okay. It's alright." Potter repeated.

Severus glared; about to scream at the foolish boy for not realizing the danger he was in. That is when Severus was jerked quite suddenly out of sleep.

Potter was stroking him as he lay on the foot of Potter's bed, those eyes shining like a devastating reminder of Severus' failures. A loud and horrible yowling had been coming from Severus as he dreamed and was cut off suddenly as he awoke.

"Are you okay, Prince? You sounded hurt! God, you were making such horrid noises!" Harry's hands were fluttering softly over Severus' body.

Severus sprang to his feet with a hiss. _"I am fine, brat!"_ He looked away from Harry, more than a little embarrassed.

Harry blinked at the cat's sudden departure and then let out a sigh of relief. "I guess if you can be your usual grumpy self you can't be too hurt. What the heck was all that about?"

Severus continued not looking at Harry, wishing once again that he had simply remained dead. Surely one couldn't have dreams like the one he had just experienced if they were dead. Then again he hadn't been able to stick around long enough to see whether or not he was going to be sent to Hell.

Potter eventually lay back down. Severus slowly returned to the foot of the boy's bed. Potter's hand returned to stroking his back softly. "I have bad dreams too, you know." He mumbled. "Though I have no clue what a cat has to have nightmares about. Really bad hairballs maybe?"

This thought earned him a slight hiss. _"Go to sleep, brat."_ Harry stroked him until he fell back into sleep. Severus, knowing sleep would evade him for the rest of the night, watched the foolish saviour breathing and mumbling in his slumber. And if he gained small comfort from these small noises he surely wouldn't admit to even so much as taking notice.

Xo End Chapter oX

A/n: Love of Jesus that was a long chapter! Sorry it took so long. School and whatnot. I have just made it through my midterms, alive at that, and now post this chapter in celebration. I feel like this chapter has earned the M rating it's had since the beginning but probably not in the way most readers wanted. Ha ha. I'm truly sorry about that. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, lots more action to come. Please send me a review! I love hearing from you. If you must flame at least let it be for a good reason. As always, thank you for reading.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Draco's Dilemma

Disclaimer: Totally not my characters. I just borrow them for my own twisted desires.

A/n: From now on review responses will be put at the bottom of the chapters. Also, I'm not even certain you all wish for the responses to continue. Please let me know because if not I won't know what you'd prefer. A special thanks to the best beta in the world, bkermom1! And a special thanks to you all for being so patient with me. With college, a new job, and family life I'm ashamed to admit that it takes me far too long to update. I am filled with shame. But on with the show! Oh! I changed my user name, hope that didn't cause problems.

**WARNINGS**: This chapter contains attempted suicide, memories of a disturbing nature including: Torture, rape of a minor character, and mass murder. If any of this triggers you, you may want to skip Draco's memories.

XoxoxoxoxoX

The potion, finally finished, was taken to McGonagall to be given to the healers at St. Mungo's. Just in time according to McGonagall. The healers had sent a report the day before saying that Hermione's condition was worsening. Her body, left in a constant state of fear, pain, and panic was starting to give up. They had sent a gatherer, someone whose job it was to retrieve whatever potion ingredient was necessary, to get the flower that was so important but it was taking much longer than anticipated.

"I didn't know the flower was that rare." Ron remarked.

_"It only grows in Brazil and is guarded by a certain breed of dragon."_ Snape snapped as though Ron should have known that.

"Well excuse me. You act as if I actually paid attention in your class." Ron grumbled. Severus noticed the idiot boy was much less intimidated by him when he was in this stupid cat form. As petty as it was, he got back at the brat by shredding a nearly completed essay of Ron's that he had left lying on the desk. The best part was that Potter had defended him as Weasley raged.

Hermione meanwhile was steadily improving. Her heart rate, having been raised in panic for so long, was normal and strong. She was expected to wake up any day now. Ron was in rather high spirits, looking forward to seeing his girlfriend awake again.

As this was going on, Harry was getting steadily more nervous about his rapidly approaching date. He tried to talk to Ron about it but the red-head didn't seem to know what to say, stammering about how he didn't really know how a date with a bloke differed from a date with a girl. So, instead of continuing to make his best friend stutter out hesitant advice, Harry had gone to talk about it with Draco.

"You're nervous because the only date you've ever been on was a complete travesty." Draco remarked from behind a large tome on potions. For some reason Draco had been spending his evenings in the eighth year Gryffindor rooms. When asked about why he was spending so much time in the lion's den he had simply answered, "Blaise has some new lover and I don't want to hear their disgusting copulating."

"I know my first date was horrible! How do I go about making this one better?" Harry huffed, frustrated.

Draco lowered the book with a sigh. "First, _do not_ go to that completely obnoxious Madam Puddifoot's place."

"No problem there." Harry laughed.

"Second, what are you planning to wear?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Um…I don't know. I was probably going to wear one of my t-shirts since I usually wear muggle clothes to Hogsmead. Do I have to wear something special?" Harry shrugged.

Draco looked at him as if Harry had accused him of having a muggle relative. "You can't be serious. Where do you keep your clothes? I'm picking out your outfit for you." He hopped off the sofa and headed to Harry's room.

"Hey! Why do I have to dress up? I don't even know where we're going!" Harry followed after the blond who was now tearing through his trunk.

"You don't have to dress formally by any means but a nice shirt and trousers would be perfect." The blond held up a shit, scrunched his nose up, and tossed it aside. "Alright. You have absolutely nothing. We have to go shopping."

"Shopping? Where?" Harry asked as Draco hopped up off the floor, completely ignoring the mess he had made of Harry's clothes.

"Hogsmead, obviously." Draco rolled his eyes. "We're both done for the day. We're of age. We have every right to go to the village if we want to."

"And you're sure that's allowed?" Harry asked.

"Of course. As long as you bring that stupid invisibility cloak along so that we can get out of the castle." Draco waved a hand breezily.

Harry rolled his eyes. He had a feeling that even if he argued Draco would get his way in the end. So instead of wasting his time he went to get the cloak, tossed it over the both of them, and they set off.

"I really thought this cloak would be a lot bigger." Draco grumbled as Harry trod on his robes for the third time. "Didn't you, Weasley, and Granger use to traipse around under this thing?"

"Well yes, but it was much easier when we were younger." Harry whispered.

They made it to the front door without running into any crowds, most of the younger students still having class. As it was the middle of the day they found the front doors unlocked, allowing them to escape out the front and head down the road to Hogsmead. They kept the cloak over them until they were out of easy viewing distance of the castle. It was a windy fall day, leaves swirling about the boys' feet as they entered the village.

Hogsmead, unlike how it was on a weekend where students were aloud, was peaceful and quiet. Witches and wizards shuffled about in no great hurry as they visited the shops, several of which had sprung up over the summer in response to the influx of people wanting to see the village where at least part of the war had been fought. Draco dragged Harry to a clothing store that Harry had never seen before. It advertised a large selection of both wizarding robes for all occasion and muggle clothing for the witch or wizard wanting to blend in.

It only took Draco a moment inside the store before he was stacking shirts of every color into Harry's arms. "Don't you think this is a bit much?" Harry asked, voice slightly muffled by the pile of clothing.

"Of course not! I've never seen you in anything that looked decent on you so I have nothing to go on." Draco smiled cheerfully.

"Your mood seems to have gone up a few notches." Harry grumbled.

"I may have gotten my hands on a juicy bit of information. Not to mention I love shopping. Which you can blame Blaise for. I hated it when I was younger." Draco mused while looking at a black button down. He put it on the stack in Harry's arms and moved on.

"What bit of information cheered you up so much?" Harry tried to see the blond over his pile of clothes.

Draco turned with a grin. "You know how I said before that Blaise has a new lover?"

"Yes." Harry answered when Draco didn't continue.

"Try; just try, to guess who it is." Draco bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly.

"I have no idea." Harry huffed. "Is Blaise straight or bent? I know he went out with Nott for a while in sixth year."

"Oh that was just a little experiment on both of their parts. But yes, Blaise isn't generally picky with gender. That thing with Nott, though, fell apart pretty quickly. Blaise can't keep his cock in his pants and Theo wanted commitment. In the end he caught Blaise shagging some Hufflepuff girl." Draco gleefully informed while inspecting yet another shirt.

"Don't you think you've piled enough on here?"

Draco scanned the pile and gave a nod. "Yes, yes. Into the dressing room with you. Try each one on and come out to let me see each time. You may be fashion illiterate but we won't have Gundry knowing that." He proceeded to shove Harry into a dressing room. "Anyways, like I was saying, you'll never guess who Blaise is shagging now."

"I'm sure I won't. Why don't you just tell me?" Harry's muffled voice came from the dressing room.

"Alright, alright. Don't tell Weasley, he would lose it and possibly blame me, but Blaise is shagging the number one Weaslette, dear Ginevra Weasley." Draco smirked.

"What?" Harry opened the curtain that hung over the dressing room doorway, his chest bare. "Ginny is dating Blaise?"

"Well I don't know about dating but they've been pouncing on each other at every opportunity." Draco commented as he looked at his nails.

"Please tell me you're joking." Harry said as he disappeared back into the dressing room.

"Why? Jealous?" Draco teased.

"Ha. You're hilarious." Harry pulled back the curtain, revealing an outfit comprised of black trousers and a dark blue shirt. "I just don't know how Ron would react to that. Ginny is his little sister and I doubt he's realized that she's become…sexual."

Draco snorted. "Ginny Weasley has been sexual since her fifth year." He walked around Harry, looking at the outfit from all angles. "But I can see Weasley overlooking the signs and turning a deaf ear to the rumours."

"I didn't hear anything about it either." Harry mumbled.

"Yes well you never really did pay much attention to gossip while I did. She lost her virginity to Dean Thomas, I believe." Draco frowned. "No to the shirt, yes to the trousers. They make your arse look good. The shirt however, is wrong for your colouring. Go back in and try a different one on."

"Yes, _master._" Harry huffed.

They went through numerous different shirts in all different colours. Draco rejected them all one after another. Harry finally came out of the dressing room wearing an emerald green button down along with the same black trousers. Draco gave him an appraising look. "I like this one." He said after a while.

"Really? Brilliant." Harry grinned, relieved.

"Indeed. So grab that shirt, those trousers, the red shirt, the green and black stripped shirt, and that cream coloured one." Draco ordered.

"Why all of those? It's only one date!" Harry huffed as he changed back into his robes.

"All of the clothes you own, and I do mean all of them, look as though you found them in the shabbiest second hand store in existence. I am trying to get you a boyfriend and it is not going to happen if you look like a beggar."

Harry grumbled under his breath as he grabbed the garments that Draco had indicated and carrying them to the checkout. The woman that ran the shop rang them up cheerfully, accepting Harry's galleons with a smile and waving as the two left the shop. "So, where to now?" Harry asked as they strolled down the street.

"I'm thinking we should stop for lunch somewhere." Draco mused.

"Where at? The Three Broomsticks?" Harry suggested.

"I'm afraid I'm not welcome there." Draco frowned.

"Why not?"

Draco looked at Harry as if he were an idiot. "Do you even remember that it was me that put Madam Rosmerta under Imperius?"

"Oh yeah." Harry scratched his head sheepishly. "Okay. Three Broomsticks is out. Where to?"

"What about that one pub? What's it called? The Hog's Head? I've never been there." Draco suggested.

"I'm not sure The Hog's Head is your kind of place. I can't actually picture you there." Harry smirked. At Draco's questioning look Harry continued. "I can't picture you drinking from a dirty glass."

Draco's look of distaste made it clear that Harry was correct in his assumption. He chuckled and suggested, "How about that Silver Turtle place? I know Ron kind of ruined it for you last time you were there but at least you didn't cast an unforgivable on a member of the staff."

Draco shot him a mock glare. "I suppose we can go there. From what I remember the food was quite good at any rate."

So the boys headed to the Silver Turtle, chatting amicably enough about how the Gryffindor Quidditch team was going to thrash Ravenclaw in the next game. "Why did you turn down being team captain again?" Draco asked as they entered the restaurant, the hostess giving the typical star struck look as she saw Harry.

"I just didn't feel like it this year. To be honest I never really enjoyed being captain too much. There was too much pressure. I like quidditch as much as anyone but I was never as obsessed as Oliver Wood." Harry shrugged as they were seated, giving the overly bubbly waitress their drink orders.

"I don't think anyone was as obsessed as Wood." Draco rolled his eyes as he glanced at the menu.

They fell into a companionable silence, looking over the menus. A man's voice, coming from the booth behind them, sounded. "Have you heard about the mess going on in London?"

A second man's voice answered him. "No, what's happened now?"

"They found another body. It was in the Prophet. They suspect Death Eater activity but there was somethin' different about this one."

"What? What happened?" The second man asked, sounding interested.

"I heard the victim was all torn up, limbs ripped off, but he had a grin on his face when he died. And that's not all! He was a war hero! He sheltered 'bout a hundred muggleborns all while still working at the Ministry. Saved a ton of lives."

Harry and Draco listened closely, neither of them having read the Daily Prophet that morning. Draco's brow was scrunched as he listened, looking like he was thinking something over. But the men soon went on to talk about other topics. "That's quite odd. What they're talking about." Draco finally commented.

"Is it? There have been quite a few Death Eater attacks." Harry frowned.

"Well yes. But I can't imagine any Death Eater who was still at large going after such an insignificant man." Draco halted his speech as the waitress arrived with their drinks and took their orders.

"Well he was a war hero." Harry commented as he sipped his drink.

"Yes, but he was a hero for harboring muggleborns. Meaning he never fought at all. He didn't kill any Death Eaters. So why bother with all the work it undoubtedly took to track and kill him? And his way of death is odd too. Not so much the limbs ripped off but him dying with a smile on his face. Something about it is off." Draco finally began eating, still frowning thoughtfully. "To be honest I wish it would all just stop. My life becomes a bit worse at school after every new attack."

"You really can't help being so self-centered, can you?" Harry laughed slightly.

"Oh be quiet. Not all of us can be as self-sacrificing as you."

Eventually their meals arrived and they tucked in. They chatted about inconsequential things, finishing their meals without any more dark topics arising. They were nearly ready to leave when the voice of the worst possible person they could have met sounded. "Harry? Oh Harry, how absolutely lovely to see you!" Rita Skeeter smiled as she walked over.

Harry and Draco looked up at the reporter standing in front of their booth. She wore acid green robes, her hair curled, her rhinestone glasses perched on her nose as she grinned at them like the cat that had caught the canary. It was all but impossible to associate this Rita Skeeter with the unemployed one Harry had known in his fifth year.

"Skeeter." Harry greeted coolly.

"Why, when I came to Hogsmead to do a report on the upcoming war memorial I never would have guessed I would have the pleasure of seeing you! Skipping class, Harry?" She gave a conspiratorial wink, as if they were close friends.

"Actually I don't have class in the afternoon today, Rita. Not that it's anyone's business." Harry snapped, looking as though he wanted nothing more than to get away from the eager reporter.

"Of course, of course." Rita waved Harry's obvious rudeness away without a care.

"And what do you mean by war memorial?" Harry asked. "I thought the only memorials that were going up were going to be at Hogwarts."

Rita grinned. "Of course not Harry! There is a memorial that is going to be placed in the center of Hogsmead. I've been interviewing some of the residents to see how they feel about it and so far everyone is naturally very excited. I've heard it is actually going to have a lot to do with you Harry. It must be exciting to be immortalized, your figure being a permanent part of Hogsmead to be remembered for generations. I've heard that they're even planning to ask you to do a speech at its unveiling. Don't tell anyone I've told you. How do you feel about it, Harry?" Quick as a jinx Rita had her acid green quill in one hand and a roll of parchment in the other.

Harry grew slightly nauseous at the thought of his visage, probably looking stupidly prideful and holding his wand like a sword, bearing no resemblance to how Harry had actually looked at the battle of Hogwarts; dirty, tired, and world weary, going up in the center of Hogsmead. He imagined all of the people, people who would never know what the war was actually like, talking about how glorious it must have been. The thought left a bad taste in Harry's mouth, ruining his appetite. He mentally shook himself out of the horrid thoughts, giving Rita a cold look. "I'm not being interviewed, Rita."

The reporter gave a disappointed pout that Harry supposed she thought made her look pitiable bit in reality made her look as though she had just taken a bite if lemon. It was then that Rita seemed to notice Draco for the first time, blinking in surprise and regaining her toothy grin. "Mr. Malfoy. What a surprise! Certainly the last person I would expect you to be sharing a meal with, Harry."

"Who I have meals with is none of your business." Harry snapped.

"Come now, Harry. Readers would want to know if Harry Potter was sharing meals with a Death Eater."

"Draco hasn't been a Death Eater for a while now. You would know that if you focused on real news instead of whatever you could make up and print."

Rita's smile slid off leaving a cold look that was reminiscent of her days of unemployment. When the smile returned it was more of a mean curl of the mouth than anything. "Well, whenever you want to pass anymore secrets on to me Draco feel free to write. I'll even pay you. No doubt you'll need it now that I hear your assets are being frozen." With that she put her quill and parchment away and walked out of the restaurant.

"What did she mean; your assets are being frozen?" Harry asked, turning his attention to Draco.

Draco sighed. "Just a rumor. There are whispers at the Ministry that they may be seizing the Malfoy fortune for war reparations. Mother has ears in the Ministry but it's not like we've received official word yet." He shrugged.

Harry almost asked Draco whether or not he'd like him to write Kingsley asking about the rumors. He held his tongue though when he imagined Draco's answering look which would have probably looked as if Harry had offered him Buckbeak for a pet. He would write a letter later without Draco knowing.

"Well, you do realize you're going to be the main feature in that story she was writing, right?" Draco asked, sipping the lemonade he'd ordered.

"Yeah, yeah. What's new?" Harry rolled his eyes. The two finished their meals, grabbing Harry's clothing bags before heading back to the castle, pulling their cloaks tighter around themselves to shield against the cold wind. They used the invisibility cloak to sneak back into the school just as dinner was letting out. They were halfway back to the eighth year Gryffindor rooms when Ron found them.

"Hey! Where have you two been? I looked for you at dinner." He frowned at Harry.

"We snuck into Hogsmead to get me some clothes for the date. I did tell you before we went. I invited you along and you said that you'd rather go have tea with Moaning Murtle than listen to Draco give me fashion advice." Harry reminded him, rolling his eyes.

"Oh. I must not have been paying attention. Anyways, McGonagall wants to see us. She's going to take us to visit Hermione! She woke up! We're meeting her in her office! Come on!" Ron was literally jumping with excitement.

Harry matched the grin on Ron's face with one of his own. "That's brilliant! Let's go then!" Harry barely had the sentence out before Ron was basically dragging him down the hall. "Ron! Calm down for a minute!" Harry laughed. He pulled the red head to a halt and shrunk his clothing bags, tucking them into his pocket before allowing Ron to continue tugging his down the corridor. Draco trailed along behind them, looking mildly amused at Ron's excitement.

They entered McGonagall's office to find her waiting near the fireplace. She turned toward them as they entered. "There you are. About time, boys. Visiting hours end in an hour. Let's be on our way. Are you coming along, Mr. Malfoy?" She asked, looking at Draco.

"No. I think I'll be staying. I wouldn't want to miss the Weasley/Granger love reunion. I couldn't stand to see the squealing and tears. As well as whatever Granger will do." Draco smirked. Ron was so excited that he barely spared Draco a glare.

"Very well. Come along Potter, Weasley." McGonagall threw a handful of floo powder into the fire, Ron stepping in eagerly.

Once they were all gone Draco stepped out of the room and headed down to the dungeons. The wind was just beginning to pick up outside, howling against the windows and through the archways. Draco was about to start down the staircase to the dungeons when a voice sounded.

"Mr. Malfoy? May I have a quick word?"

Draco turned to see Lupin striding towards him. Draco raised an eyebrow. It was rather odd for professor Lupin to ask him for a word when he generally didn't pay him any more attention than any other random student. "Of course, professor."

Lupin gave a small smile, looking a bit more tired than usual. "I actually wanted to ask you a question; a favor more like."

Draco's curiosity was peaked. He had no clue what Lupin could possibly want him to do. It wasn't as if they had ever been close even as a student and teacher. "Yes, professor?" he prompted when Lupin didn't continue.

Lupin cleared his throat. "You of course know about my, ah, affliction?" At Draco's nod Lupin gave a small smile. "Forgive me. I'm not used to being able to talk about it so freely. Especially at Hogwarts. Old habits and all that. What I am trying to ask is whether you would be so kind as to brew a Wolfsbane potion for me? I'm not able to get any at the moment and my transformations are much…worse without it. Minerva tells me that you are quite an accomplished brewer. Not to mention that it was your potion that woke Hermione."

Draco blinked in surprise. Professor Lupin had never paid much attention to him specifically so the whole thing was rather out of the blue. Not to mention it was quite nice, and surprising, to know that McGonagall had brought up his potion skill. It made a warm feeling of pride shoot through him. There was one thing, however, that wasn't quite adding up. "May I ask why Professor Chambers couldn't brew it for you?"

Remus smiled. "Ah, yes. Well from what I've heard professor Chambers isn't…well…I try to never speak ill of my colleagues but…"

"But she couldn't brew a cure for boils without burning the school down much less a Wolfsbane potion?" Draco finished for him.

Lupin chuckled slightly. "Yes well, with the potion master being somewhat hit or miss when it comes to a successful potion, and with Wolfsbane being a rather tricky potion to make, I thought it would be more wise to ask you. If you do agree to do it then you would, of course, be rewarded. You would receive thirty house points for every potion as well as fifteen galleons for your labor."

Draco thought about it. It would be kind of nice to earn some money. As much as he shrugged it off when it had come up around Harry he and his mother _were_ rather nervous about the rumors of their fortune being seized. His mother had already started saving what money she could before a decision was made by the Ministry. This, of course, meant that Draco wasn't receiving his usual monthly allowance as he had every year previous. Not to mention the fact that it would be kind of nice to be able to say he had actually earned the money by simply being better than most at brewing. "I would be happy to brew it for you but what about the ingredients. Some are in the student stores but silver flakes and wyvern fangs are rather expensive."

"Ah, yes of course. Well Minerva suggested that you should use professor Snape's stores. There are numerous rare and expensive ingredients in his rooms and no one to use them. The password is ex umbra in solem. You have standing permission to access the rooms whenever you want. I'm sure we can trust you not to disturb Severus' possessions."

"Of course." Draco nodded. "I would be happy to brew it for you in that case. May I ask when the next full moon is? I no longer have Astronomy."

"It's not for about three weeks. I'll have to take doses of the potion every night during the preceding week, of course."

"Yes, I'm aware."

"Well fantastic! Thank you in advance." Lupin smiled, seeming quite relieved that Draco had agreed.

"You're welcome, professor." Draco nodded.

Lupin excused himself and Draco continued on his way down to the dungeon, in rather high spirits considering the mood he was usually in ever since this horrid school year started. His mood shot down a bit as he heard two people whispering around a corner ahead. Their conversation was too quiet to hear anything they were talking about except for one word that nabbed Draco's attention. "…Malfoy…"

He came to a halt a few steps away from the whispering pair, straining to hear. If it involved him then he thought he had a right to know what the bloody hell they were talking about. Not to mention it had to be Slytherins talking about him this far down in the dungeons. He needed to keep up with the whisperings inside his own house. Finally he was able to catch their conversation. "Yeah, he was bragging about it to Eckley from Ravenclaw. Apparently they're sleeping together."

"I can't believe that Nykedimius guy would really fuck Eckley. What does he see in him?" The second voice asked, sounding amused.

"Who knows? Anyways he said that Nykedimius had told him that he had made a bet with Charlie Weasley that Weasley couldn't fuck Malfoy before Christmas. I heard that's actually why he asked Malfoy out in the first place." The first voice rang with the sound of barely suppressed amusement. Draco felt as though a led weight had dropped into his stomach. He listened even more closely.

"God that's pathetic. And with how Malfoy has been acting you know he's going to fall for it. He's been acting like a kicked puppy willing to hang around anyone who'll have him. Did you notice he's been sitting at the Gryffindor table?" The second voice let out a slight laugh. "Pathetic."

"Yeah. My mum went to visit his mother a while back. They were close before the whole war started, you know. She told me that poor Narcissa started taking potions for depression after Lucius was put in Azkaban. She isn't even getting out of bed most days. And now they're talking about taking the Malfoy fortune. Narcissa said she's also still getting hate mail, howlers and such, can't even block them with the wards since the Ministry ordered her to lower the wards so that they could raid at any time they felt they needed to. Ridiculous. She never even had much to do with the whole you-know-who thing, was dragged into it by her husband and son. Poor thing can't even leave the country since she won't leave her son here and it's part of his sentence that he has to complete his last school year. You can imagine how much better the poor woman's life would be if Draco would have just been killed in the war."

Draco had finally placed who the voice belonged to. It was Ardelle Tune, a seventh year who used to go with Nott. Her family had always been close with the Malfoys and her mother Lelia had been one of Narcissa's closest friends until the Dark Lord had returned. When it had come out that the Dark Lord was back she had told Narcissa that it simply wasn't safe for her family to be around the Malfoy's anymore. The Tunes, while never being outspoken against Voldemort, had never thrown their lot in with him or his supporters either.

Draco felt sick. Was his mother really taking depression potions? Lying in bed all day? Having to listen to the scum of wizarding society scream through howlers about how she and everyone she loved should suffer fates far worse than death? He felt bile rise in his throat and pressed a hand to his mouth to keep himself from retching down the front of himself at the thought. He had gotten plenty of those same letters himself so it was extremely easy for him to imagine what they were saying to his mother; his mother who had never hurt anyone and who had even helped the side of the light in that war. He turned the corner to see Tune and the other girl she had been talking to finally heading toward the common room.

He hadn't been planning to do anything with the Wolfsbane potion tonight, not with the full moon still so far off, but Draco headed toward Severus' rooms anyways. He couldn't go to the common room right now. If he did he knew he'd end up getting sick right there in front of everyone. He couldn't take the glares and whispers; people who hated him not because of what he had done but because he had chosen the losing side.

He stopped as he reached Severus' old rooms, giving the password before the senile old man in the portrait could start. He didn't notice that Potter's cat had joined him until it brushed passed his leg and went into Severus' living room before he even had a chance to take a step into the room. The cat turned, staring at Draco with its odd eyes, and gave a rather questioning meow.

"Are you alone and miserable as well, cat?" Draco asked, his stomach still clenching. Admittedly, it wasn't only the news about his mother that was making him feel so sick. What they had said about Charlie, could there be any truth in it? Draco knew better to take what he heard in second hand gossip for truth, especially gossip that originated from Desiderus' stupid mouth. But what if it was true? Charlie did express interest very suddenly when he had no reason to like Draco at all.

Draco pushed it to the back of his mind for now. He would ask Charlie about it later. Hopefully, if it wasn't true, this would make Charlie send Desiderus away and out of Draco's life once and for all. Prince gave another meow, sitting on the armrest of Severus' sofa, and Draco shook himself out of his reverie. He would get together the ingredients needed for the potion, perhaps begin preparing some of them for the first stage of the potion, and give the Slytherins that enjoyed loitering in the common room time to go to bed for the night.

He looked around the room. Only now realizing that this was the first time he had been in Severus' rooms since his fifth year. Severus had made some weird kind of tea that had been truly awful, though Draco hadn't told him at the time, and they had sat on the sofa, drinking and talking. Severus had suggested that he distance himself from Dolores Umbrige and Draco hadn't listened to him. Just like a foolish child.

The room was exactly the same as the last time Draco had seen it. The bookshelves that made up the back wall were overstuffed, books and scrolls stuffed and stacked so that the shelves looked as if one more book would send it all crashing down. Severus had kept meaning to sort his books but hadn't ever had the time to get around to it. His desk along the far wall was still stacked with papers, red ink marring many of them in his tell-tale hand writing. The small dragon shaped paper weight that Draco had given him for Christmas when he was nine sat on the corner of the desk and gave a roar of greeting when it saw Draco. There was a book propped open near the paper weight as though waiting for Severus to come back and finish his reading. Draco strode across the room and picked the book up, looking at the cover while carefully keeping Severus' place. It was a muggle book _Game of Thrones_, some story about different families fighting for control of some made up land, or at least that's what Draco gathered from skimming the summary. He put it back in the same position it had been in as if there was a chance Severus would come back later and notice his book being moved.

Draco felt his throat tighten and looked away from the desk. Maybe coming into Severus' rooms hadn't been a great idea after all. He went into the small lab, hoping to get his mind away from the morbid place it lurked in now. He found Prince sitting on the table, looking at one of the few scattered papers on its surface. Draco kept an eye on him so that he could shoo the cat away if he tried to play with a scrap of paper.

There was a caldron set up on the table, partially chopped ingredients near its base as though Severus had been beginning a potion when he was called away for the last time. His cupboard door was open and several ingredients could be seen floating in jars of different coloured potions.

It was hard for Draco to look at. All of it. It made him think about how much he truly missed his godfather. It made him remember coming in to watch the man brew in his first year. Coming to have tea and chat about books and classes and idiot students and anything. That was before Draco started preferring to spend time with his friends over spending time in Severus' cluttered rooms.

It made him wonder whether Severus had been hurt when Draco stopped coming or if he had simply accepted it as something that would always happen. Close as they had been when Draco was younger he had still always found Severus a hard man to read. A hard man to know. It was always hard to see exactly where Severus stood.

Grief, something Draco had tried very hard up to this point to force down, down, down, into a box so small that it might just wink out of existence, stabbed him sharply. Prince let out a meow, looking intently at Draco. Draco jumped slightly at the look of those black eyes. He gave a shaky smile, as if to comfort the cat or some such nonsense. "I don't think I can do this. Not tonight. It was a shitty night anyways and then all of this…" he gestured around the room before feeling slightly mad for talking to a cat in the first place. "Come on, cat."

Prince leapt out of Draco's reach, avoiding the scattered potion ingredients deftly. He meowed again, looking at Draco. The blond simply summoned the cat, rolling his eyes. "Leave it to Potter to get the most mental cat possible." He muttered, trying to regain a feeling of normality as he held onto the squirming cat. He resituated the wiggling animal and headed for the door.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Charlie, who had at first been overjoyed that Nykedimius had come to visit him while he had to stay at Hogwarts, was now getting a little suspicious. He had already noticed how whenever Draco was around Nyke would basically attach himself to Charlie's side. It seemed like Charlie hadn't been able to get a moment alone with Draco since before Nyke had arrived. And then there was the whole Quidditch incident. Nykedimius had nearly killed Draco but he certainly hadn't seemed overly worried about it.

And so Charlie was now headed down to the Slytherin dorms to ask Draco about it. As far as he knew Draco hadn't done anything to Nyke to make him act like this. He would ask Draco if Nykedimius had said anything to him. He was near the entrance to the dorms when Nyke's voice stopped him.

"Hey Charlie. I've been looking for you. Why on earth are you down here in the dungeons?" Nyke asked, giving a smile.

Charlie turned to him; slightly angry knowing that for some reason Nykedimius wasn't going to let him have a moment on his own with Draco. He was tired of Nyke acting like this and intended to know why he was doing so. "I told you I was going to visit Draco." Charlie frowned.

"Oh yeah." Nyke laughed. "I guess it slipped my mind."

"Right." Charlie murmured. "Well I'm just going to go talk to him."

"I'll come with you." Nyke gave a grin. "I can see how his shoulder is doing."

Charlie turned to face Nykedimius fully. "No, Nyke. I need to talk to Draco alone."

"Oh come on." Nyke's grin hadn't flickered in the slightest at the sight of Charlie's frustration. He seemed amused if anything. "I feel guilty for the quidditch thing. I'll apologize to him again."

"It doesn't seem to me that you're sorry at all!" Charlie snapped. "What's up with you and Draco? Do you have some problem with him?"

Nykedimius finally lost his grin. His face becoming serious. "I suppose I may have a bit of a problem with him." He said in a sulky voice, like a child being forced to admit that he'd stolen a cookie.

"What? What has he done to you?" Charlie asked loudly.

"He's not good enough for you!" Nykedimius finally snapped. "He doesn't deserve the attention you give him when I've been wanting it forever!"

Charlie blinked, surprised. He had no clue that Nykedimius was so interested in him. They had gone on a date years ago when they had first met but Charlie hadn't felt any chemistry between them. Nyke had agreed and they had decided that it was best for them to simply be friends. Now Nyke was telling him that he wanted more all along.

"You…what?" Charlie asked, not knowing what to say.

"He's nothing but a little Death Eater brat. You barely know him. You have no idea whether or not he's actually changed like you all seem to think he has!" Nykedimius' voice rose slightly.

"Nykedimius, you don't know anything about Draco." Charlie bit out angrily.

"Neither do you! You only want him because he needs someone to save him! Because he's weak and pitiful and you feel sorry for him!" Nykedimius yelled.

"D-don't act like you know! I'm interested in Draco for who he is! And yeah, I don't know him that well yet but that's part of a new relationship! I'm going to continue to learn things about him because that's how relationships work! Don't trivialize my feelings for him! I would be just as interested if everyone else completely ignored Draco! Don't pretend my attraction to him is some fluke!" Charlie yelled, face red.

"Why then?! What makes that pathetic Death Eater better than me?!" Nykedimius shouted clenching his fists, looking up at Charlie.

The anger slowly drained out of Charlie, him frowning as he looked down at his friend. "Nyke, we tried the whole dating thing. Remember? It didn't work out for us and I just don't think of you that way. You have to let me have a chance with Draco." He turned away, intending to go find Draco and have a talk with him. Ask him is Nykedimius has been bothering him and explain why.

Nykedimius' hands shot out, grabbing Charlie and spinning him around. Their eyes locked and Nyke's hands cupped his cheeks. "Please." He murmured and before Charlie knew what was happening his lips were sealed with Nykedimius'.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Draco continued to make his way to the door, trying to keep a hold on the squirming cat in his arms. He was quickly getting frustrated, tears already stinging at his eyes from the sudden downward spiral the day had all of a sudden decided to take, and Potter's cat being difficult wasn't helping in the least. He finally managed to push the door open, making sure to keep a hold of the damn cat, and stepped into the hall. He turned to shut the portrait but froze in place when he heard a voice come from just around the corner.

He knew he shouldn't listen in, surely he should have learned his lesson from earlier, but still he found himself leaning to listen in anyways. He took a quiet step away from the portrait hole to Severus' rooms, trying to sneak a peek at who it was having a chat after curfew. He gave silent thanks that Prince had calmed down in his grasp.

He peeked around the corner, seeing two male figures standing close to one another just out of the light of the nearest torch, making it difficult to tell who it was. One of them turned away from the other, beginning to walk away. Draco recognized who it was just as the second one grabbed the first. He was barely able to make out the deep red of Charlie's hair as Nykedimius twirled him around. Draco was about to announce himself when Nykedimius stepped even closer to Charlie, giving a quiet, "Please." before they were kissing.

Draco felt like someone had punched him in the gut. It was true. All of it. He really was just a laughing stock. Someone who had lost or was a hindrance to everyone he cared about. Someone who was now getting along purely on the pity of people like Potter while everyone else sneered behind his back, made bets and snide remarks, judged him and condemned him and would make sure there was nothing left to pick over before they inevitably forgot about him entirely. He stayed where he was long enough to see Charlie's hands come up to grasp Nykedimius' shoulders before he dropped the cat and ran in the opposite direction.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Severus had thought that surely it would be simple to convince Draco of who he was in his own rooms. Unfortunately, Draco seemed to be distracted, looking almost on the verge of tears as he looked around Severus' living room. It never even occurred to Severus that the boy may be missing him, mourning him. Surely it didn't occur to Severus that _anyone_ would do that for him. Not even his own godson.

The boy decided that he couldn't be in the room any longer, grabbing Severus up and heading to the door. Severus struggled, not wanting to be carried when he had four legs that worked perfectly fine, and cursed the fact that he hadn't even had time to try to show Draco who he was.

They reached the hallway, Draco freezing in the act of closing his door when they heard voices. Severus couldn't fully turn to see what Draco was spying on so he was unprepared for being dropped followed by a small gasp from Draco. The boy stood for one second longer before he was running the opposite way as if all the demons of Hell were on his heels.

There was only a moment's hesitation before Severus took off after his godson. Something about the look on Draco's face after he dropped Severus, something about that gasp he had given, as if all the air had been forced out of him by a physical blow, made Severus run as quickly as possible after the boy.

He followed Draco out into the courtyard, the wind had picked up greatly, pulling at his fur and trying to deviate him from Draco's path. Clouds rushed passed in the shy with the wind as it was, being illuminated by the half-moon. The moon light caught on Draco's hair and Severus rushed over to where he was. It looked as though he had collapsed near the edge of the lake, panting and cursing.

Severus gave a questioning meow, pawing at his godson's arm. Draco glanced down at him. "Decided to follow along, did you?" He asked, giving a laugh that sounded so much like a sob it gave Severus chills. "You know cat, I don't even know what I'm doing here anymore."

Severus hissed without meaning to. He didn't like the look on Draco's face. He had seen it before, how could he not when he went through two wars? It was a look of hopelessness, despair and grief. Hadn't he himself had to hide the same look behind a mask of indifference countless times before? He was about to paw at Draco again, do anything to distract him from his current thoughts, when Draco spoke again.

"It's not about Charlie Weasley either. No, it's about being fucking used. It's about everyone in this fucking school thinking that I'm nothing. It's about Potter standing up for me while all of Slytherin turns their back on me. It's about my mother lying in bed all day while the rest of the wizarding world send her fucking howlers telling her about how she should have died and my father should have died and I should have died! IT'S ABOUT THE ONLY PERSON WHO CARED ABOUT ME AT THIS SCHOOL BEING GONE AND IT'S USELESS NOW! EVERYTHING IS FUCKING USELESS!" Draco was on his feet, hands clenching in his hair while Severus hissed below.

Draco cut his yelling off, panting and sitting back down next to Severus. "It's about me being pathetic." His voice was soft and tear filled. Severus could have screamed with how frustrated he was at his own uselessness. He approached Draco, giving a quiet meow. Draco flinched, looking at Severus silently before reaching into his sleeve and taking out his wand.

He seemed to contemplate his wand for a few moments, turning it over and over in his hand. "I'm not going to be like this anymore. My mother will be able to go live with family in France, this will be better for everyone." He laid his wand against the pale underside of his wrist for only a moment before Severus was in action.

Severus, acting in a panic, hissed loudly and jumped at Draco, clawing at his wand desperately. Draco gave a cry of pain as Severus' claws sank into him, Severus far too distracted with getting the wand away from the boy. _"Put it down you stupid boy!"_ he yowled loudly.

"Stop it you fucking cat! Ow!" Draco tried to bat the furious cat away from himself, snarling in frustrated fury.

_"Stop acting like a child Draco!"_ Severus hissed. He tried to calm himself, the fear of having to watch his godson commit suicide without being able to do anything about it sending him into a frenzy of panic. He finally managed to knock the wand from Draco's hand, sending it spinning into the grass.

Lightning fast, he was off Draco and over to the wand. He grabbed it in his mouth, tasting the wood and the dirt it had landed in, before running as fast as he was able back toward the castle. He had no plan at the moment. All he knew was that the sound of Draco giving a frustrated scream before giving chase could only be a good thing.

XoxoxoxoxoX

Draco felt like he was going to burst into flame. He ran after that thrice damned cat as fast as he could, air burning in and out of his lungs, tears streaming down his face, mouth curled into an angry snarl. He felt like he was going mad. He hated that damn cat. He hated this damn school. He hated all the students that hated him, hated the teachers that looked at him with mixtures of suspicion and outright disgust, hated Potter for his damn pity, and Potter's idiot friends for following along. He hated his mother for making him come to this school, and his father for belonging to Voldemort, and Crabbe for lighting that fire, and Charlie for acting like he cared, and Voldemort for existing, and Severus for dying, and himself for everything.

So he ran and ran after the cat, after his wand that had the power to put him out of his misery with one whispered slicing hex. He didn't care that it was after curfew and he was no doubt making a ton of noise. All he needed to do was find that stupid cat and he could stop feeling this way. Stop feeling like he was sinking down, down, down into a dark place where he couldn't breathe or move of feel anything.

He finally caught sight of the cat near the staircase that lead to the dungeons and lunged towards it. With a flick of the stupid creature's tail it was down the staircase, still toting Draco's wand. He followed the idiot animal, seeing it disappear into Severus' rooms which had been left wide open.

Draco slowly entered the room, glancing about for the cat. Why in Merlin's name had the cat brought him back here? Why had he taken his bloody wand in the first place? As if he had known what Draco was about to do and cared enough to put a stop to it. Even if the cat _did_ understand, a ridiculous notion in and of itself, why in Merlin's name would it give a damn if Draco killed himself next to the lake?

The cat was nowhere to be seen in the living room or the conjoined kitchen area. The only other door open was to the lab, Draco slowly headed towards it, not wanting to spook the cat and send it running. The last thing Draco needed was to see a cat tear through Severus' rooms, upsetting papers and books as it tried to evade him.

As he approached the lab a funny feeling was pushing at his mind. The way the cat had attacked him when he had held his wand to his wrist, fighting him until it had gotten the wand away from him. The way the cat hissed and spat as if yelling at him for even considering ending his life. Something was…wrong with the cat. Something was different.

He entered the lab to see the cat sitting atop the long table. Draco's wand lay next to it but that wasn't what he was looking at. He was looking at the cat's eyes, the look of familiarity and cold fondness. He looked into the cat's eyes and found himself remembering the last two times he had ever seen his godfather alive.

XoxoxoxoxoX **Flashback** XoxoxoxoxoX

Draco had recently turned seventeen, not that there had been much of a fuss about it that year. With the Dark Lord living at the manor it wasn't possible to have the party that they usually had to celebrate his birthday. His mother had given him a gift; his great grandfather's pocket watch from the Black side of his family. His father hadn't even acknowledged his birthday. He was too focused on the Dark Lord's needs to pay much attention to his son at the moment.

Severus had come over on his birthday like he had every year previous and had given him a gift though. As if nothing had changed. Severus had always given rather odd gifts. When Draco had turned eight he had received a book called _Ancient Egyptian Curses and Transfigurations_. It had been an obviously old book that looked as though someone had bled to death on the cover. His mother hadn't actually allowed him to even look at it until he was fifteen because of some of the darker curses inside.

However, this year he had come up to Draco when no one was around, not saying anything. Draco hadn't actually spoken to his godfather since the abrupt end of his sixth year. Severus hadn't seemed to care though as he pulled out a small box from his robe pocket and handed it to Draco out of the blue. Draco had cut ties with his godfather almost completely during his sixth year and had assumed afterword that Severus had decided to stop caring.

"Can I open it?" He asked quietly, feeling stupid.

"I was under the impression that it was your birthday." Severus raised an eyebrow.

Draco opened the box to reveal a loop of silver carved to look like a snake. As he reached forward the snake moved, slithering up Draco's arm and coiling around his wrist, squeezing softly. "I charmed it. It will protect against minor to moderate curses and hexes."

Draco stroked the back of the little snake, its body flexing and squeezing comfortingly. "Thank you." He had said quietly, hoping Severus knew how much it meant to him, hoping Severus knew that the only reason he was quiet was because if he voiced his thanks louder he was sure to cry. Whether or not Severus knew Draco didn't find out. Severus nodded at Draco's thanks and stalked off, leaving Draco to look down at the snake as it gazed up at him with its silver eyes and flicked its miniscule tongue at him.

That was Draco's last good memory of Severus though it was not the last time he had seen Severus. The last time was a memory that Draco didn't want to think about, a memory that he tried to crush down over and over and yet it never seemed to diminish in the slightest. Instead it grew and haunted Draco's thoughts and dreams whenever he dropped his guard, whenever he forgot to remind himself. (_Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Whatever you do don't think about it.) _

It had been a few weeks before the final battle. That night the Dark Lord had allowed the Death Eaters a celebration for the death of one of the main members of resistance within the Ministry. Draco hadn't been allowed to join the celebration, not that he was even tempted to argue about it.

Instead of wallowing in his room all night he decided he would go to the library. He was halfway there, thinking about reading a certain French book of charms that he knew his mother had. He intended to go straight there, collect the book, and go back to his room. However he was stopped, almost as if a giant hand had reached out and grabbed him, by the sounds that came from the crack in the door of the ball room as he walked passed.

The noises were choked, wet, painful, panicked noises. For some reason, no matter how much he told himself to turn around, to not look no matter what, he found himself stepping forward and peeking through the crack in the door. His breath was coming out loudly even as he tried to keep as quiet as possible.

There were numerous Death Eaters in the room, most of them men. There were maybe fifteen in all, perhaps more. _They_ weren't the ones that captured Draco's attention. It was the muggle-borns and muggles that drew his eyes with an irresistible and terrible force.

A young girl, not over fifteen, was being ruthlessly raped by Rowle. He was choking her as he fucked her, causing panicked gurgling noises to escape her mouth. Near them Greyback was playing with an even younger girl. She looked to be about eleven. As Draco watched Greyback bit into the child's shoulder and then let her go. She immediately tried to run for the door, Greyback letting her get so far before launching himself at her and grabbing her up again. He gave a boisterous laugh as he carried her back to where they had been. "Come now, sweet. All you have to do is reach the door and I'll let you go." He laughed before sinking his teeth into her arm.

Nearby, the girl's mother screamed as she was forced to watch her daughter be tortured while she herself was raped. Her screams echoed through the room. There were no words, just inhuman screaming as tears streamed down her face.

Across the room was a boy that Draco knew. He was a fifth year Ravenclaw, muggle-born, quiet, small, and cute. He had bumped Draco in the hallway once and had stammered out an apology, giving such a charming smile that Draco hadn't even had the usual impulse to snap at him. He was quiet now too as one of the men ravaged his body. His eyes looked glazed and he let out small gasps of pain every time the man plunged into him.

Draco took it all in, the blood and the death and the pain, and felt like maybe he was going to scream or vomit or piss himself or all three. The scream was definitely building, about to burst out. He could feel the terror and disgust brimming in him, about to spill over when a hand gripped his shoulder firmly but not harmfully, and turned him around.

Draco found himself looking at Severus, the older man's eyes oddly bright and his face even more pale than usual. "What are you doing here, Draco?" He asked, his voice so quiet it was nothing more than a hiss.

He seemed to understand that Draco couldn't answer at the moment because he gently moved his grip to Draco's arm and led him away from the ballroom. He took him into one of the drawing rooms and over to the fireplace. He grabbed some Floo Powder and tossed it in, barking out, "Severus Snape's rooms; Hogwarts." Before gently pushing Draco to the fireplace.

Once they had arrived in Severus' quarters Draco could no longer hold everything inside. He made a mad dash for Severus' bathroom and was violently sick into the toilet bowl. Tears sprang to his eyes as he dry heaved, gasping and retching. Severus came up behind him, standing in silent support.

Draco, shaking as though freezing even though it was quite warm, finally gained a bit of his control back. He sat back and looked up, Severus gazing down at him, unreadable, for a moment before offering him a hand. He helped the boy up and then motioned to the sitting room. "Come. I'll make tea." Severus murmured.

Draco followed plopping down on Severus' sofa, still shaking. He could hear Severus in the kitchen heating water and preparing the tea. A strangely comforting sound. After a few minutes Draco managed to calm his shaking slightly, only just managing not to spill his tea all over when Severus handed him a cup. Severus sat down in his armchair silently, studying Draco, his eyes still bright.

The silence was heavy, burdened by the words Severus needed to say and the horrors Draco had seen. They sipped their tea and Draco nearly choked on it. He had momentarily forgotten how bad Severus was at brewing tea. He tended to like it extremely bitter without milk while Draco took his with a lot of milk and two spoons of honey.

Severus put his cup down on the coffee table and finally looked Draco in the eye. "What were you doing looking in that room?"

Draco gripped his tea cup harder and looked at the floor. "I was going to the kitchens. I heard a noise and—"

"Do you have any idea what would have happened if one of the men in those rooms or the Dark Lord would have seen you?" Severus sprang to his feet, pacing the room in front of the fireplace in long, frustrated, stride. Draco could only shake his head in response. "They would have made you participate!" Severus hissed out viciously. "They would have brought you into the room and put one of their victims in front of you, a young girl or boy, someone maybe only half your age, and they would say, 'Fuck them, Draco.' And do you know what would happen is you refused?" Severus didn't give him a chance to answer. "They would have tortured you! Hurt you until you agreed to rape whomever they placed before you!"

Whatever colour Draco had regained in his face he lost again. He swallowed against the urge to once again be sick. "W-what do I do?" I'm…I'm going to have to do those things. They'll make me do those things! I can't! I can't do that and if I don't they'll kill me!" Draco could feel himself hyperventilating; Severus kneeled down and gripped his arm.

"Calm Draco. Breathe. Master yourself." Severus' tone was gentle, calming.

Draco settled, still breathing harshly. "Have you done those things?" he looked up to his godfather's face.

Severus stood and stepped away from Draco, folding his arms and looking distinctly uncomfortable. "The Dark Lord accepts that I do not enjoy physical contact. I have very rarely been made to do such things with anyone." He whispered, so soft Draco had to strain to hear. "But I have tortured. I have killed."

"Then what do I do, Severus?" Draco stood suddenly, his tea cup falling to the rug, creating the tinkle of breaking porcelain. Severus turned to look at him fully.

"You have to find a way to control yourself. Never let them see your doubt. Save your emotions, your hate and disgust and pain, for later. Do as you're told and never hesitate. And rest in the knowledge that soon…this will all be over." Severus' eyes were still locked with his, never wavering.

"Whose side are you really on Severus?" Draco found himself asking.

Severus didn't look away but something in his eyes changed. His lips quirked into a small, nearly nonexistent, smile. "The winning side," He finally murmured softly.

XoxoxoxoxoX **End Flashback** XoxoxoxoxoX

Draco took another step into the room. The cat was still sitting neatly, straight backed with his tail curled around his legs. Draco almost laughed. How did he not see it before? It was exactly how _he_ had always sat, only slightly different.

The cat had gotten a piece of paper from somewhere and nudged it towards Draco. The younger man took it with shaking hands, holding it up to see a picture that he himself had drawn when he was a child of Severus brewing a potion while he watched. He didn't know that Severus had kept it.

A sob burst from him and he held the picture close, crumpling it to his chest. _"You may not think that you are needed, Draco. Trust me, as someone speaking perhaps selfishly and someone who has cared for you since your birth, you have people who want very much for you to live."_

Severus placed a paw on Draco's arm. The boy let out another sob, dropping the picture and grabbing Severus. Severus let out a surprised hiss as he was held to Draco's chest. Draco hugged him, blinking through the tears to look at the cat. Of course the cat was him! How did he not see it before? "I've missed you so much Severus!"

XoxoxoxoxoX **End Chapter** XoxoxoxoxoX

A/n: Whew. I am so, so, so sorry that it has taken me this long to update. Seriously, I'm ashamed. So to make myself and my fic more accessible to you guys I have made a twitter page as well as a tumblr page for it. Well…there's going to be other stuff on the tumblr page too…but also stuff about the fic. So, if you guys want to follow me on either site I'll be posting links to updates, updates about how the next chapter is coming along and when you can expect it, as well as other fanfiction recs and the like. If you'd like to follow you can follow TTAWOD on twitter or go to totolerateaworldofdemons dot tumblr dot com. I hope very seriously to be a million times better with the updating and keeping in touch with you all is sure to make me do that. Thank you for your continued support.

Now, I would like to thank cara-tanaka, RottenFruit, SuperSaiyanTeemo, AlmondWithUnicornHair, imici, BloodyRose90, Tokugawa Blitzer, alpharoyale, Lientjuhh, shadow, Christine Jay, , SanchiaSnape, mslight, SeverusSnapePrincess10, aliengirlguy, JKIsMyName, dem bones, boredperson7, unicorn34, Catzarossa, Dusk, Goddess Alexandria, risi, lonelyone808, ORgasmicPigeon, and LokiStickers3639 for your wonderous reviews. They fill the sky of my existence with wonder and light!

Thatsallwegot: Yes, eventually this fic will be a Snarry. However that probably won't be for quite a while. Haha. Thanks for your review!

ShodawCat13: You bring up a good point, my dear! It's true that a werewolf's saliva is usually what causes an infection but when I mentioned that Moony was licking Sirius' wounds he was in fact in dog form. It says in the books that an animagus in their animal form cannot be affected by a werewolf bite. Thank you for the review!

Grown Up Ron: On the off chance you're actually reading this, I will reply to your review. I'm quite sorry that you don't like my fic. It seems to me, judging from your review, that your main problem is with Draco. I apologize if you think everyone's actions regarding him seem off but I personally like Draco. I like the guy and want him to be a pretty main character in my story. That certainly isn't going to change. I'm truly sorry that you think that to this point "Right now pretty much everyone is badly OOC…" but I have gotten no such complaints from everyone else. I'm afraid I won't be changing anything. I'm sorry.

CatzaRossa: Haha. I suppose Severus could have black claws. I've truly never given it much thought. Thanks for the review.

Thank you for reading! Please review and if you must flame let it be for a good reason! Love, ToTolerateAWorldOfDemons!


End file.
